Legend of the Immortal Fox: Shinigami Saga
by Apex Soldier
Summary: AU. Death, an inevitable event that'll happen to everyone eventually. For Naruto, it came a little earlier. Now, given a second chance, Naruto will become a Shinigami and learn their ways. How will Naruto fair in this new world of Hollows and Shinigami?
1. Death of a Fox, Birth of a Shinigami

**Welcome one and all to ****Legend of the Immortal Fox: Shinigami Saga...**

**As said in the summary, this story will be AU, very AU actually... So for those who don't like AU stories - in which case, the hell are you doing looking at crossover stories? - please leave now or forever shut the frick up...**

**That's all I have for now... Hopefully, this version will be better and you'll enjoy it...**

_**"Know what's weird? Day by day, nothing seems to change, but pretty soon...everything's different."  
**_**-Calvin from Calvin and Hobbes**

**Chapter 1: Death of a Fox, Birth of a Shinigami...**

**I don't own anything...**

* * *

A small boy crawled under a bridge and hugged his knees. Silent tears flowed down his cheeks as he heard people passing over the bridge. They were the reason he was out, crying and hiding while fearing for his life. He was only eight; who ever heard of a eight year old running for his life? It's insane.

He hated his life; he hated everything about himself and everything he stood for. He wanted to stop being a burden to everyone and just be useful to someone, anyone. He sniffed loudly and then regretted for he heard the footsteps on the bridge stop suddenly.

"He's under the bridge!" Naruto, finding it pointless to keep hiding, ran out from under the bridge and continued to run for his life. "GET HIM!"

Tears flew off his face and he tripped over his poorly tied shoelaces. Time seemed to slow down for Naruto as he looked back during his mid-fall and saw all the villagers behind him smirk evilly. He closed his eyes and waited for the pain and probable death.

However, he never felt his body hit the ground because he felt someone grab onto him instead. When he opened his eyes, he saw that he is flying in midair, passing by many trees and was being held by what he thinks is an ANBU. Naruto says nothing as he lets the ANBU take him to where he wanted; it's not like he cared anyways.

A few minutes later, Naruto started to feel tired and he fell asleep though not before hearing a faint chuckle. Naruto woke up with a fright; he had a nightmare again, the same one as before. The one where he foresaw his death and the worst part is; if his dream was actually a prediction, his death would start here. Naruto tried to stand but felt his wrist and ankles tied down. His eyes widened as he looked around and saw he was in an old, abandoned laboratory.

He almost threw up when he saw many eyeballs floating in test tubes and other body parts floating in a container of some kind. There was blood smeared on the walls in the room that were poorly lit by old light bulbs. This was it, this was where he saw his death, and this was where it going to start! Well, not if he had anything to say about it.

Naruto struggled against the belts tying him down but it proved fruitless. More tears fell and his fury was only fueled by it; he was always crying and he was getting sick of it.

"Calm down boy." Naruto's body remained still and tense as he heard a croaky voice order. He looked in the direction of where he heard the voice and saw the same ANBU who helped him walking towards him. When appeared in the dim light, he removed his mask and smiled at Naruto. He shivered as he saw the ANBU's snake like eyes observing him and his long, snake tongue licking his lips. Whoever this man was, he was not going to help Naruto that was for sure.

"W-Who are you?" Naruto stuttered. The ANBU moved his long, black hair from his face as he made his way towards the eyes in the test tubes. He took two of them and then walked to Naruto.

"Who I am is not important but what's going to happen now is." The ANBU taunted as Naruto felt his blood run cold. "Now, hold still." The ANBU touched Naruto's forehead and before he could protest, Naruto felt like going to sleep again. His eyes slowly closed and his world started to fade.

"Sleep well my future vessel for when you wake up again, everything for you will change." Was the last thing Naruto heard. As for the ANBU, he didn't know how right he was.

**[*.*.A month later.*.*]**

Naruto roared loudly as many of the villagers ran from him. He felt great, so justified and anyone who got in his way was immediately brought down by a simple cut of their throat. Even the ANBU, who were the supposed best in their field, were quickly brought to their knees and beheaded. Naruto felt the adrenaline pumping through his veins as another batch of villagers were killed.

He looked down at his bloodied claws and smiled evilly, barring his fangs. The feel of someone else's blood on his hands felt enticing and invigorating. The two tomoe in his red eyes spun as he caught movement from the corner of his eye. He turned and easily impaled the chunin that tried to behead him. Naruto pulled his right hands from the chunin's body with his heart in his hands before squishing it.

"Kukukuku, that was so great." Naruto purred as he tossed aside the remains of the chunin's heart. He looked to the west and saw that the sun was starting to set. He smirked, his work only half done. His highly sensitive nose picked up the scent of a familiar man and he prepared himself. In a flash of smoke, an old man in white and red robes appeared before Naruto with two other ANBU.

Naruto didn't let the two ANBU attack as he appeared before the one of the left and pierced his throat with his left claw. The old man in the white and red robes and the other ANBU jumped away from Naruto as he completely beheaded the ANBU and burned his body with a strange blue fire that appeared from his hands.

"Naruto… why?" The old man asked in a regretful tone. Naruto flinched as he opened and closed his fist.

"S-Stay… stay away old man!" Naruto shouted as he extended his arm out and the blue fire was shot off his hand. The old man and his ANBU jumped out of the way and the ANBU looked at the old man and he nodded hesitantly. With a quick procession of hand signs, the sounds of a thousand birds chirping could be heard around the area. Naruto watched as the ANBU with lightning in his hands crouched down before running to him.

Opening his red eyes wide, Naruto was able to barely dodge the lightning jab and kick the ANBU in the abdomen. The lightning disappeared as the ANBU doubled over and before Naruto could finish him off, the ground under him shot up and enveloped him in a coffin of dirt and stones. Only Naruto's head was visible from the coffin as he roared angrily and tried to free himself.

"It's over." Said a voice a few feet away as it was replaced with the sounds of chirping birds again. Naruto tensed and felt his blood rushing out of his mouth as the ANBU's lightning covered hand appeared from his body and through the dirt. The dirt and stones then gave away and the ANBU freed his hand from Naruto's body, making it fall to the ground with a dull thud.

Hiruzen, who had activated the Earth jutsu, watched in sadness and confusion as Naruto's red fox-like eyes dulled and soon closed. Kakashi, who was less than eager to kill the boy, held his midsection as he walked to Hiruzen's side.

"It had to be done Hokage-sama. If we didn't stop him, he probably would've destroyed the entire village." Kakashi assured and Hiruzen nodded absentmindedly.

"I know." Hiruzen stared at Naruto's prone body with sadness until it started to convulse violently. Hiruzen was about to act when Naruto's mouth suddenly opened and a white blob with a black mop of hair came out of him. Hiruzen and Kakashi watched in horror as what they thought was a blob was actually Orochimaru who stretched out his limbs and then smirked at the two shocked Konoha shinobi.

"That's a shame; he was such an obedient vessel. If it wasn't for the damned fox, I probably would've kept him but unfortunately, it was a onetime ride." Hiruzen's face, once gentle and shining with experience and understanding was now contorted to one of pain, anger and hatred. "I see you have some fixing up to do here so I'll just be on my way."

"You're not going anywhere!" Hiruzen shouted as he forcefully threw shuriken at Orochimaru and made some hand signs. "**Ninja Art: Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu!**" Thousands of shuriken appeared from that one shuriken and Orochiramu chuckled as he was pierced by the shuriken. Then he dissolved into mud and disappeared from sight.

"Hokage-sama, please, calm down." Kakashi said as he held Hiruzen back from going after Orochimaru. "There is a time and place for everything and right now, Konoha needs you to help with its recovery. And…" Kakashi looked at Naruto's corpse and saw his demonic features start to be replaced by his normal ones.

"Yeah, I know; we still need to prepare for his funeral." Hiruzen walked to Naruto's corpse and started to cradle him. His surrogate grandson, bloodied and dead in his arms; how many times has he seen this before? Someone close to him dead in his arms and he was powerless to save him. Why was fate so cruel! A tear was shed from his eye and Kakashi placed a hand on his shoulder. They were surrounded by the bleak aura of a sunset as Hiruzen noticed there was no one in sight.

Obviously, Orochimaru had planned to wreak havoc with Naruto's body, to further drive his reputation to the ground but more importantly, to mess with Hiruzen. However, Hiruzen found himself fortunate that they caught Naruto earlier out here in the outskirts of Konoha before he reached the center where there were more civilians. Even with that luck though, it was completely overshadowed by the death of his grandson.

"We need to go now, Hokage-sama." Hiruzen nodded as he stood and walked to his office with Kakashi and Naruto. He knew some people would've made it out alive to tell the tale of the rampaging jinchuuriki. Rumors, that's all it'll take for Naruto to have a lonely funeral.

**[*.*.*.*]**

Naruto felt himself regaining consciousness as he let out a loud yawn. He sat up from the hard ground and immediately scratched his back but froze when he heard the unmistakable jingle of chains. He looked down and saw a long chain attached to his chest; his reaction was immediate…

"AH!" He started to panic as he also realized that he was a bit transparent. He still had his white shirt and orange pants but they were torn and ragged. "What's going on?" He shouted to no one in particular. He looked around and saw the usual civilians walking around, doing their errands as the sun shined down from the center of the sky. Naruto wondered why no one had kicked him out of the way yet like they usually did. Naruto stood from the ground and noticed that no one was making eye contact with him; it was almost like he wasn't even there.

Usually, they'd at least glare at him or something like that, something that'd acknowledge his existence but now, he was being ignored… which is something he didn't like one bit.

"HEY!" Naruto shouted but still no one looked at him. He appeared in front of someone who was about to pass him and before he could say anything, the person walked through Naruto. He stared into space with wide eyes as his mind registered what he thought was impossible unless…

That's it! He was dead and now his spirit was going to wander the land until… until something happened. He wasn't so sure but that was the only thing that made sense. He inspected his transparent arms for a little while longer before falling to his knees. He didn't even remembered how he died, he only remembered being knocked out by the ANBU and then… nothing.

Tears shed as he finally felt the impact of the news hit him. Now that he was dead, he couldn't become Hokage, he couldn't be the best shinobi in existence… he would never find out how exactly Sakura felt about him. He suddenly had an idea as he turned to one of the stores with a public clock and saw that it was a little bit after noon. He smirked as he jumped to his feet, wiped his tears and ran to the academy; they should be taking a lunch break and he'll be able to see Sakura again.

"I'm coming Sakura-chan!" Naruto shouted as he ran through the crowd with relative ease. He was still getting used to not really having a physical body but whenever he passed through someone, he chuckled goofily. After finally making it to the academy, Naruto ran to back where he knew Sakura would be with Ino and smiled widely when he saw the mess of pink hair. He ran to her and as he heard her talking with Ino, his running turned into slow pace walk.

"I can't believe he's gone." He heard Ino say and he guessed they were talking about him. "I didn't know him that well… or at all, but still." She said solemnly.

"Yeah, he might've been annoying but to just die? That's crazy." Sakura added and Ino nodded her head. Naruto felt himself crying again, glad that Sakura cared for him. "I hate to say it but, I'm kind of glad he's gone." Then Naruto's heart broke.

"What?" Ino asked incredulous.

"Come on Ino, he's always trying to get me to like him and getting in Sasuke-kun's way. Now, he'll be at peace and won't bother anyone." Sakura said in her defense. Ino shook her head.

"That's cold Sakura." She stated and Sakura looked down.

"I know but… that's how I feel." Naruto clenched his fist tightly by his side as tears continued to fall but for a different reason.

"So… I was only an annoyance? IS THAT IT SAKURA-CHAN?" Naruto yelled in Sakura's face but since he was dead, she didn't hear him. "No, you don't deserve to be called that Sakura; you were never really my friend." He then turned to walk away and only took a few steps before a sudden feeling of being followed washed over him. He stopped and turned to see that there was a girl behind him who had also stopped.

She had long black hair braided into one strand that ran down her back. Her outfit consisted of a short black kimono with a white underkimono under it. The sleeves of her kimono were not wide most kimonos and the upper parts of the sleeves are puffed. Also, she wore a traditional wide white obi with a red cord fastening it. On her left sleeve was an armband with the word 'lieutenant' on it. In addition she had white gloves that cover only the back of her hands and wrists; as well as a dark red choker around her neck.

Her emerald eyes seemed to stare into Naruto's and Naruto thought she could see him but then thought otherwise since he knew he was dead.

"Naruto Namikaze Uzumaki, correct?" The girl suddenly asked and Naruto flinched. He looked around and then pointed at himself while blinking.

"M-Me?" The girl didn't even blink as she slightly tilted her head to the side.

"You are Naruto Namikaze Uzumaki, no?" She asked and Naruto shrugged his shoulders.

"I don't know about the 'Namikaze' part but I am Naruto Uzumaki." The girl's eyes narrowed slightly.

'_It's just as Captain-Commander had thought, he doesn't know about his father.' _She thought as she bowed.

"Rest assured Naruto Namikaze Uzumaki, you are a Namikaze." She said and Naruto sweat dropped.

"Uhm… thanks…" The girl stood up again and nodded. "So, you know my name, what's yours?" Naruto asked.

"I am Nemu Kurotsuchi, Lieutenant of the 12th Division in the Gotei 13 and Vice-President of Shinigami Research and Development Institute." Nemu introduced herself and Naruto blinked absentmindedly.

"…lieutenant… 12th Division… Gotei 13… Vice-president… SHINIGAMI?" Naruto shouted in shock and Nemu nodded her head.

"That is correct." She said and Naruto looked at her with blank eyes before he shut his eyes and turned around. Nemu raised an eyebrow and followed after Naruto. After walking for two blocks, Naruto stopped again and turned.

"Why are you following me?" Naruto asked.

"I was ordered to bring you to the Soul Society, Naruto Namikaze Uzumaki." Nemu told him and Naruto blinked.

"Ok, first: just Naruto, Naruto Uzumaki at most. I don't know where you got the 'Namikaze' part but I'm no Namikaze." Naruto said and Nemu nodded. "Second: I think you're crazy. Shinigami are a lot scarier than you are and I'm sure there's no society where all of you, if you are one, go and… and…" Naruto closed his eyes to think. "Just no, I don't believe you. So leave me alone." Naruto said in a frustrated tone before walking away. Nemu followed after him but Naruto refused to acknowledge her again.

He was dead and would now be a wandering spirit for who knows how long. He had better things to worry about than a crazy lady talking nonsense while following him.

"Excuse me." Naruto was surprised to hear Nemu talk but didn't stop. If anything, he sped up. "Naruto Uzumaki." Naruto started to sprint down the sidewalk before taking a sharp right into an empty alleyway.

Nemu saw him enter the alleyway and when she turned as well, she didn't see him anywhere. She squinted her eyes as if it'd help her better to see into the dark alley. She finally walked into the alley and searched to the sides of the giant dumpster. She opened it to see if he jumped in it but nothing was in there, not even a bag. After a few minutes of no success, Nemu stepped out of the alley and continued down the street.

Naruto chuckled silently as he stepped out from under the dumpster.

"I still got it." He said and went in the opposite direction as Nemu. Turning once more, he shouted in surprise when he saw Nemu standing in front of him with an expectant look. He looked behind him and then back at her.

"How'd you do that?" Naruto asked and Nemu sighed.

"That's not important Naruto Uzumaki. Please, I need to take you to the Soul Society." She insisted and Naruto hummed to himself as he thought it over.

"Fine, but can I have one last look around here?" He asked and Nemu nodded her head. Naruto smiled and walked away with a wave of his hand. "Thanks!"

**[*.*.*.*]**

Naruto had been wandering Konoha for what seemed like hours. He wasn't sure where he was heading and he didn't care, he was just too engrossed with his thoughts to care. Once or twice he had stopped by the Hokage's office and spotted Hiruzen working on paperwork but Naruto could see the sadness in his eyes. Naruto was glad at least one person mourned his death. With a last, unheard goodbye, Naruto continued down the path, observing everything for the last time.

One thing he noticed while on his tour was that everything seemed clearer. He saw things in a better perspective and even the fast moving things that moved didn't seem so fast anymore. This excited him a little; he guessed this was a perk of being dead.

However, he wasn't so sure but he felt like he was being followed again. Not by the girl; apparently, she had respected him with some space and trusting him to go with her to wherever she wanted, No, this… entity of sorts that's been following him was surrounded by a bad aura that gave Naruto the creeps. The mal intent that this entity surrounded him with was almost unbearable for him but luckily, it went way. Deciding to find out about it later, Naruto continued on his oblivious trek around Konoha for the last time.

He was surprised when he found himself standing inside some garden. It was a beautiful garden full of different plants, flowers, trees, etc. He looked around some more and saw a pond only a few meters away from him. Beyond that was a huge house, almost like a compound or something. Naruto walked to the pond and looked into it, watching koi fish swimming freely in their limited space. The pond seemed to place him in a trance like state because he didn't hear the sound of a door sliding open.

Walking to her backyard, Hinata wiped the tears from her eyes as she failed to keep them from falling. She had heard Ino tell Sakura a rumor of Naruto dying of a heart attack. She doubted it but he had been gone for an entire month and she started to lose some hope. When the academy ended, she ran through the crowds and hallways and stopped in her room.

She cried for about two hours before she decided to head to her family's garden in the backyard to clear her mind. She remembered the times when her mother brought her there to clear her mind and it always worked so why not now?

She stopped in front of the pond and sat down on a large boulder placed right outside the pond. She looked into the pond, admiring the koi fishes' beauty and agility in the water and letting her tears hit the pond, creating ripples.

Naruto was brought out of his thoughts when he noticed the ripples in the water. He looked up and across the pond, he saw Hinata crying softly while staring into the pond. Naruto was surprised to find himself in the Hyuga's garden and even more to see Hinata crying.

Hinata was such a nice girl; she never made fun of anyone and was especially kind to him which he didn't receive much from anyone. Sure she'd blush and stutter when he was around and would occasionally faint but that didn't make her a bad person. She was a kind hearted soul; even Naruto knew that much, and seeing someone as nice as her cry was a crime. It made Naruto kind of angry that someone made her cry and… and it just didn't sit well with him to do nothing but watch her cry.

"Why N-Naruto-kun?" Naruto was shocked; was he the reason why she was crying? "W-Why did you d-die? I-I didn't even t-tell you." Naruto moved closer to the crying Hinata as his curiosity got the better of him… again.

"T-Tell me what? What is it Hinata?" He asked, wishing she could hear him. Though, he guessed she wouldn't have heard him even if he wasn't dead; too engrossed in her own sulking to notice the world around her. Hinata sniffed as she held herself, feeling a little cold all of a sudden.

"So you don't know?" Naruto turned and his eyes became as wide as saucers.

"W-Who are you? And what don't I know?" He asked.

"Me? I am Hikari Hyuga… Hinata's mother." Hikari said and Naruto noticed that she too was transparent.

"But wait… w-why…"

"I died while giving birth to Hinata's younger sister, Hanabi." Hikari answered and Naruto became quiet.

"I-I'm sorry… I-I didn't know." He stuttered and Hikari giggled, making Naruto think she was an angel. Her voice was soft and harmonic while her laugh and giggle was angelic, sweet music to his ears. Besides that, she looked like an older version of Hinata except Hikari was wearing a white kimono and if Hinata was going to look like her mother when she grew up, then Naruto knew she'd be beautiful. The only thing that took away her angelic look was the super long chain attached to her ample chest but Naruto, being the young kid he is, didn't get perverted thoughts from them.

"It's ok, no one really did… at least, no one outside the clan." Hikari looked away with her eyes stopping on Hinata. Naruto followed her gaze and stopped on Hinata as well.

"You know," Naruto started, getting Hikari's attention. "She really is a great person. I think she is one of the few people who didn't hate me." Naruto said somberly and Hikari moved her gaze to him. Naruto looked back at her and saw sympathy in her eyes. It was then that Hikari finally realized slit pupil and red color in his eyes.

"Who exactly are you? You remind me of an old friend but I can't put my finger on it." Hikari said and Naruto looked at her oddly.

"My name is Naruto, Naruto Uzumaki." Naruto answered and Hikari's eyes glowed with interest.

"Uzumaki?" She asked and Naruto nodded happily. She had a calculating look as she had her gaze on him; making Naruto feel uneasy. Suddenly, she smiled and closed her eyes. "I approve."

Naruto raised an eyebrow and titled his head comically to the side.

"Hmm?" Hikari giggled again and shook her head.

"You'll find out what I mean later." Hikari looked back at Hinata. Naruto looked at Hikari for a long time before remembering what Hikari said before.

"Hey, what did you mean by I don't know?" Naruto asked and Hikari smiled.

"I don't think I should tell you…" Naruto heard the teasing tone but couldn't help but fall for it.

"No please, tell me!" Naruto knew he was getting a bit desperate but he never liked being out of the loop. Hikari giggle and motioned him to come closer. Naruto listened and moved closer. He blushed when he felt her breath on his ear.

"Nope." She whispered and Naruto's face expressed his disappointment. Hikari giggled a bit more at seeing his expression. "I'm sorry but I feel like I'd betray her if I told you. It's not as easy to talk about as weather."

"I understand." Naruto said, his tone revealing his disappointment. They both fell silent as HIkari turned his sights to her eldest daughter before returning it to Naruto.

"I'm sorry you had such a horrible life." She said and Naruto felt like crying. Hikari seemed to have sensed it because she then started to hum softly after wrapping Naruto into a hug. "It's ok to cry Naruto-kun." And as if on her command, Naruto started to cry. He cried for a good five minutes before he calmed down.

"I-I'm sorry." Naruto apologized, a bit embarrassed for crying but Hikari smiled.

"It's ok; it's always good to let it out once in a while." It was then they noticed that Hinata wasn't around, she must've gone inside.

"Can you tell me more about Hinata?" Naruto asked, surprising Hikari by his sudden question. Noticing the look she was giving him, Naruto decided to explain himself. "I said before that she was one of the few who never treated me badly and I don't think it's fair that I leave on a bad note, so to speak." He said and Hikari smiled with a nod.

Naruto listened to Hikari tell him about Hinata. The life she had before Hikari's death and how her life changed after it. The horrible way her father treats her and how she was always looked down on by the Hyūga clan.

There were certain parts in Hikari's recount of Hinata's life that made Naruto kind of mad. Hikari noticed that he wouldn't look at her at some of the bad parts and would occasionally clench his fist at the even worse parts. However, there were many good parts that made Naruto smile and even laugh. Hikari joined him in the laughter and their laughs echoed through the vastness of the garden.

"She truly is a great daughter and even if it was short, I'm happy I was able to be in her life. She has a pure heart and sees things that no one, not even the Hyūga's Byakugan, could see." Naruto smirked at this.

"Are you saying that she has some special superhuman power?" Naruto asked and Hikari giggled.

"Sort of." She said and Naruto eyes sparkled with anticipation and excitement. "She can see the good in people; she sees glimpses of light even in absolute darkness."

"I thought you were going to say that she could see into the future or something but I guess seeing the good in people is good too." Hikari laughed, prompting Naruto to laugh as well. Their laughter soon died down and it became quiet.

"She was really affected by your death." Hikari finally said and Naruto nodded his head hesitantly.

"I guess so but it wasn't as bad as yours." Hikari nodded her head in agreement. "Guess we're both pretty important to her, huh?" He asked and she nodded again. "I wonder why." He mused to himself. Hikari just stared at him with a smile.

"It's not that hard to see why you are." She commented and Naruto looked at her curiously.

"It's not?" She shook her head.

"You're very energetic and have a positive outlook on life. You never let anything hold you down for too long. You're not afraid to stand up for what you believe in and you stand up for those in need." She stated. "You're well-mannered, you have a good heart and you always listen to it. In my opinion, these are the qualities of a great man, even if he's still a boy." She finished and Naruto blushed and looked away.

"How do you know so much about me?" Naruto asked.

"Let's just say a little birdie told me." Naruto stared at her strangely and Hikari laughed. "It's ok; someday you'll know what I'm talking about." Naruto nodded and after hesitating, he stood.

"I uh… think I should go now, someone is looking for me." Naruto said and Hikari bowed, her smile never leaving her lips.

"Then I bid you a fond farewell Naruto-kun and I hope I can see you again someday." Hikari said and Naruto nodded and bowed.

"Thank you and same to you." He said happily before walking out of the compound. After taking a couple of steps out of the compound, he looked back and through one of the windows, saw Hinata looking at the sky. Naruto looked at the sky as well and noticed that it was now night. Man how time flies.

He looked back at Hinata and noticed for the first time how pretty she was. He turned around and started to wander again for a couple of minutes before…

"Are you ready to go?" Nemu asked and Naruto shook his head. He looked back at Hinata's room and smiled.

"I have one more thing to do. Do you mind?" Naruto asked and Nemu thought it over.

"Please hurry." She said and Naruto nodded with his wide smile.

***.*.*.***

Hinata rested on her left said, facing the wall as she lay on her bed. She tried to sleep off her sadness but so far, it wasn't working. She walked around her room, kept herself busy by reading some books her mother left her before her death and even tried some light exercise but nothing worked.

She had given up and now she just waited for sleep to claim her and let her enjoy the happy world her mind created for her in her dreams. She just hoped tonight's dream was better than yesterday's dream. It wasn't like she expected much and now she could only pray for a better dream.

Pulling the covers over her head, Hinata tried harder to go to sleep as Naruto jumped into her room. He landed on his feet and was glad that Hinata decided to open the window.

From his place, Naruto watched Hinata moan as she shifted her feet next to each other and got herself more comfortable in her place. He checked the time on her alarm clock right on her nightstand and saw that it was just a little past midnight. He had seen her do some exercise in her room earlier and quite frankly, his impression of her being a weird girl was still strong. Still, he didn't think it was a bad thing. Weird was… is good, normal is just… blah…

Still, he waited a few minutes after she jumped into bed before entering her room. He assumed that she fell asleep and now he could talk to her.

He wasn't so sure why he waited for her to go to sleep when she couldn't see him, let alone her him, now that he was dead. Maybe he was afraid even though he was dead, she'd be able to hear him and even see him. As impossible as that was, he didn't want to take the risk.

Now, with her back turned to him, he felt even more confident to speak.

Naruto did a quick search around the room and found a stool near the edge of her bed where her head was. He walked toward it and sat down. He cleared his throat as he tried to think of something to say. He knew he wasn't obligated to say anything but he felt like it would be the right thing to do.

Getting over the awkward feeling in his stomach, he opened his mouth.

"Hey there Hinata." Unknown to Naruto, Hinata's eyes sprang open at hearing the familiar voice say her name. However, she was frozen by fear, the fear of turning around and not seeing her crush. She didn't want to get disappointed so she ignored it, telling herself to just forget she even _thought_ she heard his voice. After a moment of stillness and silence, Hinata knew she was hearing things.

"I'm not sure what I should say." Naruto said with an uncomfortable chuckle. "I guess I should start by saying that my first impression of you was that you were a shy, weird and dark girl. Now, I don't think you're dark. You're still shy, there's no doubt about that, and you're still a little weird but that's good, I like weird." Hinata's heart beat escalated at this and she felt like it would soon jump out of her chest and hug Naruto behind her. She had no doubt in her mind anymore that Naruto was in the same room as her.

"But I learned some things today and I can say that you're an awesome, good hearted, shy girl who is just like me and for that, I just want to say that I'm sorry." He thought he heard her gasp but he ignored for the time being.

"I'm sorry I didn't try to get to know you. I'm sorry that I was so wrapped up in my dumb crush on Sakura that I didn't even stop to look around. If I did, I'm sure I would've noticed you a lot sooner than I did." Naruto took in a deep breath. "Maybe… Maybe we could've been friends, good ones." He added with a smile.

"I talked to your mom, Hinata." Naruto mentioned. "She's an awesome lady. I can see why her death affected you so much." Naruto paused as he thought of more things to say.

"She also told me about you… so much about you." Naruto smiled goofily. "She even told me about the time jumped off your seat when she told you that you were getting a younger sister and even danced around." He chuckled mirthlessly, unaware of the tears Hinata's silently cried, before he stopped and frowned.

"It's not fair, is it?" He asked rhetorically. "She was… is such a great lady and what happened to her just wasn't fair. It wasn't her time and yet… it isn't fair." Naruto said as he held his head in his hands while his elbows rested on his knees.

"No… I-It wasn't." Naruto looked up in surprise to see Hinata sitting up on her bed and looking straight into his eyes. He quickly wiped away a few stray tears and blinked at her. Hinata noticed that his once beautiful cerulean eyes were now a deep, crimson color with black, slit pupils.

"Y-you… see me?" He asked and she nodded.

"I-I can hear you too." She added and Naruto wiped his eyes with his hands and looked at her with an intense stare. Hinata broke eye contact when she became uncomfortable under his stare. Naruto's eyes then widened when he realized that she had heard everything he said after entering her room.

"Well… this is awkward." Naruto said and Hinata slowly nodded her head, her eyes still refusing to meet his eyes again. She rubbed her left arm with her right hand and Naruto stared at his feet. Finally, Naruto asked the question that had been on his mind for the last couple of minutes.

"How's life going?" Naruto asked with his goofy smile. Hinata looked at him strangely before sighing.

"T-The same… except for your… d-death." Hinata added the last part with a bit of uncertainty.

"I… see." He said and it became quiet between the two again. "…why?" He asked.

"W-Why what?" She countered.

"Why do you care about me so much that you would cry over me when we weren't even good friends?" Naruto elaborated and Hinata let her bangs cover her eyes as she tilted her head forward.

"B-Because," Hinata couldn't help but press the tip of her index fingers against each other. "You were a good person, someone I-I could look up t-to." Hinata said and Naruto nodded his head slowly.

"Cool." Hinata looked at him with confusion and saw him smiling happily. She looked away sadly as she slowly gathered her courage to ask him a question.

"N-Naruto," She heard him hum, letting her know he was listening. "Did you m-mean what you s-said earlier? About being s-sorry that you d-didn't get a chance to a-actually know me?" She asked and Naruto's smile disappeared and was replaced by a contemplative look.

"Yeah, I did." He answered. Biting her bottom lip lightly, she dared to ask more questions.

"And… y-you said you talked to my m-mom?" Naruto nodded his head.

"Yeah." Hinata looked at Naruto and Naruto saw the tears in her eyes.

"I miss her." She said. Naruto was surprised by the lack of stutter or hesitation in her voice but it was replaced by the bigger shock of Hinata jumping into his arms and crying into his shoulder. "I miss her so much!" He heard her muffled voice say. He was surprised that she was not only able to see and hear him but also touch her. Was he going crazy?

"I-It's ok, Hinata." Naruto stuttered out as he clumsily patted her shoulder, not used to someone hugging him, at least, not a girl his age. He felt her grip on his tighten and he could feel his shoulder getting wet. She clung to him like a lifeline as tears fell down from her eyes like water in a waterfall.

After composing himself, Naruto hugged Hinata back. He closed his eyes and allowed only one or two tears to escape their imprisonment. He felt the world around him disappearing, it was like only he and Hinata existed. No amount of outside interference could take this away from him as his hug constricted a little.

"It'll be ok Hinata. Everything will be alright." He whispered and felt Hinata shake in his arms. He didn't know it but his words sent chill up and down her spine and for the first time since her mother died, Hinata felt safe and assured. After a few minutes of crying and holding him, Hinata broke the hug and wiped her eyes with her sleeve.

"I-I'm sorry." Naruto smiled as he remembered what Hinata mother has told him when he said that.

"It's ok Hinata and it's always ok to let it out once in a while." He said and Hinata looked at him so much admiration that Hinata wasn't sure if she was the only one who could hear her heartbeat. She smiled as she hugged Naruto one more time.

Naruto smiled as well as he held Hinata again, this one a little shorter than the last one.

"I'm sorry Hinata but I should be going now." He said and sadness overcame Hinata's beautiful lavender eyes.

"Y-You can't go!" Hinata shouted, once again surprising Naruto.

"I can't?" Hinata shook her head vigorously with her eyes closed.

"I need you." She added.

"I'm sorry-"

"Don't say that." She interrupted and Naruto stared at her with somewhat widened eyes.

"So… what exactly do you want me to say?" He asked and Hinata gulped down the hesitation in her throat that kept her from speaking her thoughts.

"Say you won't go. That'll you'll be here, become my friend." Hinata hugged him again with her eyes closed and tears streaming down. "Anything but you're sorry." Naruto took in a deep breath."I don't want to lose another person, not someone who means a lot to me." She said through her tears.

"…I'm sorry." Naruto said and Hinata's hands clenched his shirt.

"Please don't go." She said in a hushed tone and Naruto closed his eyes.

"…" His heart struggled to stay intact as he held the crying girl in his arms. His friend needed him but apparently, someone else needed him too. His heart came to the conclusion that he should stay with Hinata, to help his friend cope with his death but his mind also concluded that he had no choice in the matter. Inevitably, he would leave and there wasn't a damn thing he or anyone else could do about it and both his mind and heart knew it.

"Hinata." His voice was like the night air, calm, cool and smooth. Hinata looked up and met his eyes. "I… I can't stay, I have to go." Without her usual shyness or hesitation, she shoved her head in his chest. "But I promise I'll be back." Naruto said, making Hinata look back up after a while of no response.

"Y-You will?" She asked with some disbelief and Naruto smiled a cheeky smile with his eyes closed and a thumb pointing to himself.

"Believe it." Was his reply and Hinata couldn't help but smile. No number of words, no matter how poetic or complex they may be, could be able to make her feel more assured than those two words uttered by the one she admired the most. She hugged him again, with a smile plastered on her lips.

They stayed the way they were for what seemed like hours. The reality of the matter is that they only hugged for two minutes. Still, no movements or sounds were made except for the sound of two hearts beating in sync.

"I'll be back, ok?" Hinata nodded her head and Naruto stood. "Promise no matter how long it takes for me to comeback, you'll wait for me?" Naruto asked and Hinata blushed at his intense stare and question.

"I-I will." She said and he smiled.

"Good." He walked to the window and then turned to give him the best genuine smile he could muster. "I'll see ya later then, Hinata-chan." He said before jumping out the window. Hinata lay back down on her bed with a smile and slept the rest of the night without the smile wavering.

Landing gracefully on the ground, Naruto walked up to Nemu and nodded his head.

"I'm good." Was his only comment and Nemu nodded. A butterfly as black as the night sky deprived of the moon and stars landed on Nemu's shoulder and Naruto eyed it oddly. "Cool."

"Indeed." She said and suddenly, a sliding door appeared from thin air.

"Woah!" He yelled in surprise. The door then opened and through instinct, she walked into the light, her silhouette disappearing after a few steps in.

Naruto cautiously walked up to the door and eyed its entire structure. Before crossing the threshold, he stopped and stuck his left hand inside.

"So I just walk in or…" He paused to see if he'd get a response. All he got was a hand grabbing onto his wrist and pulling him in. He righted himself before he fell and adjusted his shirt. "I could walk by myself, thank you." He said before taking in his new surroundings.

He was in an office of sorts; that much he knew. It was very spacious and clean with white walls and a huge door on his right. The room was so big that it made his entire apartment room look like a broom closet.

"Ahem." Naruto looked up and saw an old man with a long, white, plaited beard sitting on a chair. He was bald with a giant "x" scar on his skull and he had a tranquil look as he studied Naruto or at least Naruto thought he was. Next to him was a fancy looking man with a katana tied to his obi. Slamming his staff down, the old man stood and walked towards Naruto.

"Naruto Namikaze Uzumaki I presume?" Naruto shifted uncomfortably under the old man's powerful gaze.

"…kind of. Who are you, old man?" Naruto asked and the man who looked like the old man's assistance scowled.

"Such insolence…"

"There, there Sasakibe, he is only a child." The old man said and Naruto tilted his head to the side. "Naruto Namikaze Uzumaki, from now on, you will address me as Captain-Commander Yamamoto. Any less and you will be punished, understood?" Naruto looked at Yamamoto seriously.

"Sure thing ol-I mean, Captain-Commander Yamamoto… sir!" Naruto teased, adding a hand salute with a goofy smile. Naruto couldn't register the look on Yamamoto's face since it always looked like he was thinking. He just hoped he didn't piss the man off.

"I see you've made it here in one piece." Naruto absentmindedly rubbed the back of his head.

"I guess so." Naruto said with a goofy chuckle. A thought then popped into Naruto's mind. "Now that I think about it, what am I doing here?" Naruto asked and Yamamoto walked back to his chair.

"You, Naruto, are a very special human. You hard endured through many hardships at such a young age and have experienced a premature death." Naruto's eyes dulled at being reminded of his death. "However, you also have the strongest of nine bijuu sealed in you. Well actually, you did, now it's basically part of your soul."

"What?" Naruto shouted but was silenced when Yamamoto slammed his cane against the ground multiple times. When Yamamoto was sure Naruto wasn't going to talk out again he sighed.

"As I was saying, your spirit is now merged with the Kyūbi thanks to the one known as Orochimaru. He messed with the seal and tried some experiments on you, which is why you now possess the eye of the Fox." Naruto's eyes widened.

"I… I do?" Naruto asked and Yamamoto nodded. "I guess that'd explain why everything seems ten times clearer." Naruto mumbled to himself.

"And even when you were still alive, I knew you had an enormous amount of Spiritual Pressure, not unlike some of our captains here in the Soul Society." Naruto registered this statement and wondered how good that was. Of course, being the same level of a captain is good no matter what the subject is but still, curiosity reared its ugly head. But he refrained from asking that question and decided to ask the one that's been on his mind since he entered this strange, new world.

"Sooooooo… you want me to become a Death God… a Shinigami?" Naruto asked skeptically and Yamamoto nodded his head. "That sounds… awesome!" Naruto said and Yamamoto nodded his head passively.

"I suppose, for lack of a better term, it is. However, you must first go to the Spiritual Arts Academy and understand the basics of being one of my Shinigami." Naruto smiled and gave another hand salute.

"You can count on me Captain-Commander Yamamoto! Oh and…" Naruto paused, a bit hesitant to continue.

"What is it boy?" Yamamoto asked.

"Can… Can I occasionally visit my old world? At least once a month or something?" Naruto asked and Yamamoto looked at him curiously.

"Such a curious question. Why do you ask?" Yamamoto asked and Naruto looked at the floor.

"I promised a friend I'd see her again someday." He answered and Yamamoto nodded.

"I'll grant you the opportunity to return to your home once you are a legitimate Shinigami and when I think you are ready to go back to your home, agreed?" Naruto nodded eagerly and bowed deeply. "Now that that's taken care of, Nemu, please show Naruto where he'll be sleeping." Nemu nodded and ushered Naruto out of the room. Before stepping through the door, Naruto looked back at Yamamoto.

"Thank you Captain-Commander Yamamoto." He bowed and then left the room, off to start his new life as a Shinigami.

"Captain, I do not doubt the decision you've made as I know you have your reasons, but why did you agree to let him return home after becoming a Shinigami?" Sasakibe asked and Yamamoto slumped in his chair.

"I see great things in that boy. He has the same look, the same drive that his father had. He will lead us into a greater era and be a great asset to us in the near future." Yamamoto answered and Sasakibe knew that he wasn't going to get a straight answer from the old man. Yamamoto was glad his lieutenant dropped the subject.

* * *

**Ok, i have a few more things to explain...**

**Yes, Naruto has the Kyubi's eyes instead of the Sharingan... Thanks to Ookami88, I was able to get rid of the Sharingan and still get what I want so thanks again... I think this is what upset people the most besides the old version's hectic storyline...**

**I did choose Nemu to do this retrieval mission instead of Kenpachi for many reasons... One of the few is that its important that she meet Naruto before Kenpachi so Naruto would inevitably meet Mayuri... Why do I want that? So many more reasons, not enough attention span to explain...**

**Hopefully, the moment between Naruto and Hinata seemed appropriate for a bunch of 8 year olds... I doubt it but eh, deal with it...**

**I'm sure some of you guessed who has a past linked to the bleachverse but don't assume its only one... that's all I gotta say about that...**

**I gotta ask, how was the scene with Hikari and Naruto?**

**I felt like I rushed it last time I did this chapter and I thought 'Maybe I should put a little more bonding in there...'.. What do you think?**

**In fact, please let me know how much better/worse the story is... Any suggestions are welcomed but i won't promise that they'll all be used...**

**I think that's all... Any questions, don't be afraid to ask them...**

**Till next time!**

**Next Chapter: Eyes of a Fox, Soul of a Namikaze...**

**There'll be a surprise in the next chapter, just you wait...**

******Good luck with whatever and if you got a problem with me or one of my stories, please feel free to: Deal with it, Get over it or Choke on it...**


	2. Eyes of a Fox, Soul of a Namikaze

**I can't talk now...**

**Enjoy and Please review!**

* * *

Naruto walked into the barrack of some division. He wasn't sure; Nemu told him but his amazement in the small tour through Seireitei had overshadowed Nemu's voice.

"This place is awesome!" Naruto shouted in delight and Nemu nodded her head.

"It is a nice place to live in." She commented and Naruto cocked an eyebrow up at her 'enthusiasm' or lack thereof. He decided not to say anything as to avoid getting into an argument. He put his hands behind his head and followed after Nemu as she led him through the barrack.

There were men all over the place sleeping, eating, fighting or laying around doing nothing. They all wore the same thing; a white shitagi, a black kosode, a black hakama, a white hakama-himo, white tabi, and waraji, the Shihakushō or uniform of the Shinigami. Naruto was wearing essentially the same things except he was wearing a blue shitagi, the strips on his kosode were blue, blue hakama and There is a circular symbol on both breasts of the outer shirt.

"What are we doing here?" Naruto asked in a whiny tone and Nemu looked back for a second before having it face forward again.

"To assign you to a room to live in." She answered solemnly and Naruto nodded slowly.

"Ah, fresh meat." Naruto tensed as he heard this and looked to his right to see a crowd of men in the Shihakushō staring at him, many either cracking their neck or their knuckles or even both at the same time. Naruto gulped and ignored them as he hoped that his room had a lock.

After a few minutes, Nemu stopped in front of a pair of giant doors. She stepped up to the door but before she could knock, the door opened quickly and Nemu and Naruto blinked as they a small girl with cotton candy colored hair in the Shihakushō staring up at them.

"Hello Nemu!" Nemu's stoic mask was cracked as she let loose a small smile.

"Good afternoon, Yachiru-chan." She greeted back and Yachiru smiled and then looked at Naruto with a curious look.

"Who are you?" She asked and Naruto coughed into his hands and smiled.

"This is Naruto Namikaze Uzumaki." Nemu said and Naruto glared at her.

"Why do you keep saying that?" Naruto asked in calm frustration. They heard a grunt come from the room behind Yachiru and Naruto flinched. A smile as bright as fireworks appeared on Yachiru's face.

"Namikaze _and_ Uzumaki?" Yachiru asked in excitement that seemed to want to burst out of her small body. Naruto nodded slowly and Yachiru grabbed his hand and dragged him into the room. "AH!" Nemu silently followed after them and closed the door behind her.

Yachiru was saying some things to Naruto but Naruto couldn't hear them because of the speed of her words and because of the rush of wind passing by his ears. The speed she was going in seemed unreal to Naruto.

She then suddenly stopped and the momentum caused Naruto to slide forward on his stomach and stop just short in front of a giant of a man sitting with a bowl of sake in his left hand.

"Hey Kenny, guess what?" Yachiru yelled and Kenpachi stared coldly at Naruto who felt like the man was staring straight into his soul. Then Naruto laughed at such a thought when he remembered he was already a soul so everyone could see it. He looked back up after his small laugh and saw that Kenpachi was not amused.

"Who the hell is this?" He asked. Naruto decided to get up and afterward, he saw Kenpachi stand as well. Kenpachi stood tall and muscular at six feet seven inches or so with sleeveless captain's haori that had a ragged look to it. His long black hair was spiked up and for some odd reason, had a bell attached to each spike; a total of twelve bells. An almost stranger thing was the eye patch on his right eye that had a gold outline to it.

"He's a Namikaze!" She said happily and internally, Kenpachi was amazed but he refused to show it. "And an Uzumaki." At this, his eyes widened and he couldn't prevent the smile that appeared on his once solemn lips.

"Uzumaki eh?" The sudden interest his voice scared Naruto. Just who the hell were his parents?

"Y-Yeah." Naruto stuttered out and Kenpachi chuckled lowly.

"And a Namikaze. Quite the kid this brat is." Kenpachi stated and Naruto glared at him.

"I'm no brat." He said and Kenpachi's smile was replaced with a frown as he released his Spiritual Pressure. Naruto's eyes widened as he fell to his hands and knees. He was sweating bullets as his arms and legs strained to keep him up. Air seemed reluctant to enter his lungs as Naruto gasped for a breath.

"I am Kenpachi Zaraki, Captain of the 11th Division. If I say you are a brat then that's what you are. You got that?" His voice left no room for argument and even nodding left Naruto panting even more. "I want to hear you say it." Kenpachi demanded and Naruto struggled to raise his head.

"I-I-I… I c-can't." He said and Kenpachi smiled deviously.

"What?" He asked as he placed a hand behind his left ear. Naruto barred his teeth as he tried to stand. He was able to slowly make it to his feet and after a minute or two, he had his equilibrium. He raised his body after two attempts and then turned his head upward. The entire process was beginning to tax on Naruto's body but he refused to fall again. His crimson fox eyes stared into Kenpachi's jade eyes with conviction and determination.

"S-Scr… Sc-Screw… You." Naruto said. The statement surprised everyone in the room but no one had a frown on their face. Nemu watched in somewhat amusement alongside Yachiru who was smiling goofily and even Kenpachi was smiling. He applied even more of his Spiritual Pressure on Naruto and Naruto's pose faltered only for him to stand up straight again in a few minutes. A dim, yellow glow appeared to surround Naruto's red eyes and Kenpachi's smile became even more sinister.

"Yes, that look in your eyes. I remember it now." Naruto could barely understand Kenpachi as he was fading in and out of consciousness. Kenpachi looked at Nemu. "And he's never been under the influence of Spiritual Pressure?" He asked and Nemu shook her head.

"He came from the Human World so I assume he hasn't." His eyes stayed on her before returning to Naruto who was starting swaying side to side.

"Impressive." He released his Spiritual Pressure and Naruto fell forward, caught by Kenpachi before being pushed back and falling on his butt. Naruto shook his head as he gathered his bearings. His vision was blurred and he rubbed his eyes with his hands, hoping to return it to its better than average perspective.

"So, what're you doing here, Kurotsuchi?" Kenpachi asked as he sat back down, taking a sip of his sake. She bowed as she began to speak.

"Naruto Namikaze Uzumaki is a new Shinigami and Captain-Commander Yamamoto has suggested this Division as his new home." Kenpachi blinked and raised an invisible eyebrow.

"What makes the old man think he's fit to join my division?" Kenpachi asked and Nemu looked at Naruto.

"Captain-Commander Yamamoto informed me to tell you to ask Naruto." Kenpachi snarled as he saw Naruto just now regain conscious thought.

"Hey kid, what the hell makes you think you're qualified to join my division?" Naruto stared blankly at him before he reached into his pocket and took out a folded sheet of paper. He showed it to Kenpachi who snatched it and skimmed over it.

"Where'd you get this?" He asked and Naruto shrugged. On the paper were a total of eight questions, four asked to Kenpachi and another four to Yachiru. An illustration of Kenpachi was on the back of the paper and the front read:

_**Kenpachi Zaraki**_

_1. What kind of individuals are you seeking?_

_Guys who like fighting._

_2. How would you describe the atmosphere around your division?_

_We get along and have fun._

_3. What do you require of new recruits?_

_They should be strong._

_4. Some words for the shinigami recruits._

_Strong guys, come and try me!_

_**Yachiru Kusajishi**_

_1. What kind of individuals are you seeking?_

_Strong guys._

_2. How would you describe the atmosphere around your division?_

_Eeeveryone gets along~_

_3. What do you require of new recruits?_

_No weak people should join._

_4. Some words for the shinigami recruits._

_I'll think up a nickname for you!_

Next to the both first and third questions was a check that Naruto obviously made… and in the top right corner was a crudely drawn picture of a bowl with chopsticks sticking into it and what looked like steam coming out of it. Crumpling up the paper, Kenpachi lazily tossed it aside and stood, towering over Naruto like a castle to an ant.

"That tells me nothing. So kid, what makes you think you're good enough to get in my division?" Naruto stood and gulped down his fear.

"I like to fight and eventually I'll be strong," Naruto answered and Kenpachi chukled.

"Eventually? I need strong guys now." Kenpachi retorted and Naruto glared.

"Well I'm not strong now but give me a year and I'd be able to give you a run for your money." Naruto challenged and a spark of mischievous appeared in Kenpachi's visible eye.

"A year you say? That almost sounds like a challenge." He taunted, followed by a light shove but for Naruto, he had to prepare himself for it and even then he was almost sent through the doors behind him.

"It is." Naruto said and Kenpachi's chuckle turned into laughter.

"So how about we make this challenge a little more interesting. If you can 'give me a run for my money', then I'll allow you to join my division." Kenpachi bent forward and met Naruto eye to eye as he said his next words. "But, if you can't even put a scratch on me or make me sweat, then you'll relinquish your Shinigami powers to me and become my personal slave." Naruto took a step back and his body shook. After some hesitation and gathering the conviction he needed, Naruto stood up straight.

"A scratch, I win, no scratch, I lose?" Naruto simplified and Kenpachi nodded his head, his sinister smile still on his lips. "Deal." Kenpachi grabbed Naruto's hand and shook it violently.

"As fun as this was, Naruto still needs a room to sleep in." Nemu said and Kenpachi looked at her before returning his gaze at Naruto.

"He can sleep here if he wants, I don't care." Kenpachi said offhandedly. Naruto stared in awe at the giant man before looking at Yachiru and Nemu.

"Very well, thank you." Nemu said and Kenpachi scoffed. "Come Naruto, we have one more thing to do before you are allowed to rest." Naruto blinked and nodded, too tired to argue. As Nemu led him out, Yachiru watched him leave.

"He's going to make an interesting member." Yachiru commented to herself only to turn when Kenpachi laughed.

"Are you saying that he's going to hurt me?" Kenpachi inquired and Yachiru giggled with her eyes closed.

"Of course not." She answered without hesitation.

"Then what are you saying?"

"That I know you." Was all she said before screeching in joy. "I sense Nana." Yachiru burst through the doors and Kenpachi heard her say; "Nana! Where's my candy?" He smirked at his surrogate daughter's actions before muttering a single word.

"Namikaze."

**[*.*.*.*]**

Naruto body twitched with a sense of foreboding as he sat in his seat. His eyes also twitched at everyone movement as he waited for Nemu to come get him.

It was just a couple of minutes ago that he was in the barracks of the 11th Division and now… now he was in hell.

"Naruto?"

"AH!" Naruto jumped off his seat and fell on his face when Nemu called his name. He shook as he stood and slowly followed after Nemu deeper into the building and out of the waiting room. He saw test tubes, beacons, instruments of torture and many other things that out right scared Naruto as he voyaged through the laboratory.

"Nemu! Where the hell is my experiment?" A voice yelled, scaring Naruto even more. The voice was rough and dry, as if the man only knew how to yell. Nemu led Naruto through one more door before bowing in front of an odd looking man.

His appearance had a very skeletal look to it with a skull-like visage. His face was painted entirely white with the inner portion of his face painted black with the exception of his nose. His eyes were a golden color and had his teeth barred, giving the appearance of him constantly smiling. Both his ears were seemingly replaced with stubbed golden cones. His fingernails were blue and, with the exception of the fingernail on his right middle finger, were all short. The one long fingernail was as long as the finger itself. He also wore a white hat with two ends that point to his right and a large purple scarf around his neck. His whole body, even his face and hands, had been painted black and white.

"He's right here father." Nemu stated and Naruto looked at her and then at the man.

"Father?" Ignoring Naruto's comment, Mayuri walked up to Naruto and Nemu. He then shoved Nemu aside.

"You're blocking my light Nemu. Be of some use and get me my needle." Naruto's hands became tense at his side at the thought of another mad man running some tests on him. He took a step back but soon, his back hit the wall behind him.

"Calm down child, I'm only messing with you. I'm not going to be running those kinds of tests." Mayuri said as he walked away from Naruto, letting Naruto release the breath he didn't know he was holding. "This won't take long." Mayuri grabbed a pen looking thing from a table near him and moved in front of Naruto. He moved the pen like thing in front of Naruto's left eye and pressed his thumb against the back tip of it, turning on a light. Naruto flinched at the sudden light in his eye.

"Do not close your eye. If you do, you'll only make this last longer than it has to." Mayuri advised harshly as Naruto decided to follow the man's suggestion. After a few seconds of humming to himself, Mayuri moved the light to Naruto's right eye and examined it as well. He clicked it off and pocketed the small pen light.

"Such poor craftsmanship. Who is the idiot who messed with your seal?" Mayuri questioned.

"It was a man by the name of Orochimaru." Nemu answered. Mayuri stared at her with disgust.

"I was talking to him, you worthless fool." Nemu looked away and Naruto could feel his anger rise slightly. But as soon as Mayuri made eye contact again, his fear overshadowed his anger.

"Is this true?" He asked and Naruto shrugged.

"I-I don't know."

"You don't know?" Mayuri echoed in a mocking tone. "Stupid brat. You're as worthless as she is." He added, his eyes looking at Nemu. "At any rate, his work is trash, at best. I, however, am a true genius when it comes to all things related to science."Mayuri boasted while grabbing Naruto by his collar.

"Follow me." Naruto let himself be dragged, his feet refused to obey his brain's orders anyways. He was hauled through multiple rooms before stopping in a room lit by a single florescent light in the middle of the room, shining down on a table.

"W-Wha-?" Naruto was knocked out and fell limp on Mayuri's hands.

"Nemu, come here and aid me in this surgery. I'm sure even you can help me with such a task, or am I wrong?" He asked her and Nemu kept her head bowed.

"No father, you are most correct." Mayuri smiled as he tossed Naruto onto the table.

"Then let's begin." His menacing smile widened.

***.*.*.***

Naruto awoke at the sound of his head pounding against his skull. He grabbed his head and groaned as he felt like his head had been used to play soccer for three hours or so. He slowly opened his eyes, the lights stinging his eyes.

When he composed himself, he noticed that the world around him was even clearer than it was before. And all his senses seemed sharper as he noticed the smell of medicine was a lot more distinct. He looked around and saw that he was in a white room with a single bed, a nightstand next to the bed and a window. He also took note that he was out of his academy uniform given to him by Nemu before they arrived to Mayuri's barracks. Now he wore a light green hospital gown.

Naruto slowly stood from the bed and staggered after taking a few steps. After making sure he wouldn't fall, he walked to the door but stopped before walking out of it when he saw a mirror on a nightstand that was oddly placed near the door. He picked it up and saw that nothing happened to him, his eyes were still blue and his three whisker marks were still where they've always been.

After the short inspection, he walked out of the room. He looked to his left; the hallway was desolate with a numerous number of doors leading to who knows where and it scared Naruto that he couldn't see the end of the hallway. He looked to his right; it was just as barren as the left side and with the same amount of doors and just as endless. It seemed to him that the hallway stretched all the way to infinity.

However, one difference that caught Naruto's eye was a grey metallic door just a few feet away from him. He stepped through the threshold and into the hallway, feeling the fabric of the carpet under his feet. The door seemed thick and opened from the middle. There were two buttons next to the door, one with the up arrow printed on it and a second one under it with the down arrow.

Naruto looked around once more and his body began to shake, not too sure if he was shaking because he was afraid of getting lost or because of his body's current state.

He chose the less troublesome one and assumed it was whatever was wrong with his body.

He heard a single, light bell ring a few feet to his right and saw the grey metallic open from the middle, just like he thought. It opened to reveal Nemu who had a tear running down the left side of her face. She looked up and was surprised to see Naruto standing in the middle of the hallway. She wiped her tear away and stepped out of the elevator.

"Why are you out of bed?" She asked but Naruto didn't respond to that question.

"Why were you crying?" Nemu evaded her eyes for a second before steeling herself and reestablishing eye contact.

"You're mistaken, I was not crying." She insisted. Naruto was about to say something but Nemu beat him to it. "You shouldn't be walking around, it is not wise to do so after coming out of an operation." Naruto's eyes widened.

"I was operated on?" He asked and Nemu nodded. "So he knocked me out to operate on me?" He repeated and Nemu nodded again. Naruto felt an inner fear emerge from his stomach as memories of his death returned and replayed in his mind. His knees shook as he started to sway. Nemu grabbed his shoulder to steady him.

"Are you alright?" She asked and shaking away the images that plagued his mind, Naruto nodded. "I know the thought scares you but there is a positive outcome." She said and Naruto stared at her with vacant eyes.

"Like what?" He asked, his skin as pale as snow.

"As you've probably noticed, you're eyesight is marginally better, as well as your other sense." Naruto contemplated this before nodding. "There is more but I think my father can elaborate it more efficiently." She told Naruto and signaled him to follow her. She led him to the elevator and pressed the down arrow. The doors closed and quiet ensued it.

Naruto shifted in his place as he kept sneaking glances at Nemu. Nemu noticed but didn't say anything.

"Are you sure you're ok? I saw you crying and-" Nemu shook her head.

"I'm fine, I was simply thinking to myself." She answered, a little to quickly for Naruto's liking.

"Well, if you're so sure." He said. "I just want you to know that if you wanna talk about it, you can come to me." Nemu looked skeptically at Naruto. "I'm not here to judge, just listen." He offered and then let it drop. None of them said a word, even as the elevator stopped and opened to reveal Mayuri standing over a table with all his attention focused on whatever lay on the table.

"Father." Mayuri's shoulders tensed for a second before he looked back at Nemu and then Naruto.

"So you're finally up, eh brat?" Naruto's hands were clenched tight at his sides as he cautiously entered Mayuri's laboratory.

"What did you do to me?" Naruto asked with a strain. Mayuri, his attention completely on Naruto, turned his back on his work and leaned with his back on the table. A pop within a test tube next to Naruto resonated in the room and made Naruto jump. He glared at the test tube before fixing it on Mayuri.

"I fixed you." Was Mayuri's answer and Naruto looked at him skeptically. "Nemu, didn't you explain him exactly what I did?" Nemu looked down from her father's gaze.

"I thought you'd explain it better, father." Nemu answered and Mayuri looked at her before he used shunpo to appear next to Nemu and grab her neck. Naruto was surprised when his eyes took in every detail of Mayuri's movement from his previous spot to choking Nemu.

"You're worthless." Mayuri said and Nemu couldn't look at him in the eyes.

"Yes father." Was her only reply. Naruto say that Mayuri's grip on Nemu's neck tightened and he clenched his hands into fists.

"Let her go!" Naruto shouted and Mayuri faced him, not releasing Nemu.

"What did you say to me, boy?" He challenged. Naruto flinched from the glare Mayuri was giving him but didn't back down.

"I-I said… let her go." Naruto repeated and Mayuri smiled as he let Nemu go. She fell to her knees and held her neck in pain. Mayuri walked up to Naruto, easily one foot taller than Naruto. He looked down on Naruto with a smile that shook Naruto to his core.

"I am Mayuri Kurotsuchi, Captain of the 12th Division, President of the Shinigami Research and Development Institute, and I am a genius without equal. What makes you, a lowly, amateur Shinigami, think you can tell me what I can and can't do?" Mayuri asked. Naruto heard bubbles gurgling in the background, many lights casting shadows on Mayuri's face, making Naruto quiver with fear.

"I-I…" Mayuri's smile became sinister as he pushed Naruto back. Naruto fell and backed away from Mayuri. This man reminded Naruto too much of the last ANBU.

"Speak up boy, I can't hear you." Mayuri taunted and Naruto gulped loudly. His eyes widened as his head started to ache. He grabbed his head, closed his eyes and curdled up into a ball. Mayuri tilted his head in curiosity as he watched Naruto spaz out.

"Get… away from… me." Naruto said with a struggle and Mayuri laughed again. He shook his head. "**Get away!**" Naruto shouted in a deeper, demonic voice but Mayuri only irked him.

"Or what?" He asked and Naruto's eyes snapped open. Mayuri was surprised to see Naruto activate his eyes. A red sea surrounded his slit pupil while surrounded by a golden orange glow. His body started to twitch as if he was being electrocuted as he stood. He then roared and swung his hands to the table nearest him. It fell to its side and destroyed all the test tubes on the table.

"What the-?" Mayuri was interrupted when Naruto punched him squarely on the chest. He flew through the room, crashing through multiple tables before being stopped by the wall at the end of the room. He looked up and saw Naruto continuing his rampage.

"**Leave me ALONE!**" He shouted as he burst through the many other unbroken tables. Mayuri stood to stop Naruto but before he could make a move, Naruto crashed through the window and ran away from Mayuri.

"That brat." Mayuri growled as he surveyed the damage Naruto did to his lab. "He'll pay for this. Go after him!" He ordered Nemu and she nodded before disappearing. He growled after she left and in his anger, he flipped over a table that was turned on its side.

"This is not good." Mayuri stated as he started to pace around the room. "The little brat better hope he's not in immediate danger soon or else it'll be the end of him."

**[*.*.*.*]**

Naruto sat under a tree, still twitching but not as violently as he was when he was in Mayuri's lab. He didn't know why he freaked out in Mayuri's lab or why he did what he did but he was glad he was away from him and the horrible place.

During his freak out, Naruto did notice that his moves were more fluid and quick while his vision became better and he took in every detail. He wasn't sure what Mayuri had done to him but he was sort of glad he did what he did.

He then heard rustling behind him and he prayed that it wasn't Mayuri or Nemu coming to get him. He turned just in time to see a man with red hair pulled back into a ponytail jump out of the bushes. He wore a Shinigami's uniform.

"Who are you?" Naruto asked and the man looked up at him and blinked.

"Who am I? Who are you?" The man retorted and Naruto pouted.

"I asked you first." Naruto replied and the man frowned before walking up to Naruto and picking him up by the back of his collar.

"Well I'm asking you now, who are you?" Naruto glared at the man.

"Naruto Uzumaki." The man blinked before looking up in thought.

"Uzumaki… sounds familiar." The man said as he let Naruto go. He fell on his butt and let out a small cry of pain before rubbing his butt.

"Jerk. So who are you?" Naruto asked and the man looked down at him.

"My name is Renji Abarai." Renji answered. "Now answer me this; what're you doing here?" Renji asked and Naruto stood up.

"I'm just running away from some crazy guy." Naruto replied before walking away. He was stopped however when Renji put his hand on his shoulder.

"Are you a Shiniagmi?" He asked, his curiosity evident on his face. Naruto looked back at Renji and nodded his head. Renji just blinked, deadpanned. "Aren't you a little too... little?" Naruto's eyes narrowed and he slapped Renji's hand off his left shoulder. Renji watched as Naruto walk off and smiled.

"Interesting kid." He commented before he walked off as well.

"What is wrong with people here?" Naruto asked himself after a few minutes of silence and walking. "All everyone ever does is either fight or act crazy! This is nuts!" Nartuo shouted in frustration.

"Hey, kid!" Naruto turned and faced a girl wearing a Shinigami's uniform. The girl had pale skin, violet-colored eyes, and black hair, with one strand of hair always hanging between her eyes.

"Have you seen a boy walking around here? He has red hair." She asked and Naruto looked back from the direction he came from and then pointed in that direction. She looked up and then back at Naruto. "Thanks." She ran off after ruffling Naruto's hair. "RENJI!" She yelled and Naruto shook his head.

_'Yep, everyone's crazy.'_ He thought as he continued walking through forest. When he reached the borders of the forest, he saw that he ended up on some kind of hill. He walked forward, his head and eyes turning at every direction, taking in the scenery. The giant hill was connected to the Seireitei and seemed to stretch out about half a mile out, give or take. At the end were two white poles adjacent to each other, standing about a hundred feet high.

"What the hell?" Naruto uttered as he walked up to the two white poles. He touched it and immediately retracted it. It felt powerful, like it had a mind of its own and could destroy him without a second thought. Of course, this was Naruto's impression. Obviously the poles had power and could receive more of it but an inanimate object such as the pole couldn't possible have a mind… could it?

Shaking his head and walking past the poles, he stepped over the edge and looked down, getting vertigo from just looking down. He felt himself lose his balance and leaned forward. A pulse rippled through his body and his eyes widened as he fell forward. His body felt stiff as he felt a power inside him pulsate from his core. He could feel his hands clenched slowly as he felt the pulse bring power with it as it washed over his body.

'_What's happening to me?' _Naruto felt his world blacken as his body picked up speed. The only other thought that plagued his mind was as followed:

'_I'm hungry…'_

***.*.*.***

On top of an harbor, surrounded by weather not fit for fishing or relaxing, two figures sat facing each other, staring intently at each other and panting. Neither moved a muscle, neither blinked nor looked away. Hours of struggling for dominance had drained them of most of their strength. The shorter of the two raised his head and his cerulean eyes locked onto the demonic crimson ones of his opponent.

"**So, what exactly do you want?"** The taller of the two asked and the shorter moved his legs to sit in the lotus position.

"I want to call a truce between us." The shorter proposed.

"**A truce? Of what kind and for what purpose?"**The taller asked. The shorter scratched the back of its head.

"Just… to work together; nothing complicated or false, honest. The reason behind it… well, just to help our host out." The taller one moved its head forward and showed its fangs in a smirk. A long snout let out a short burst of fire, showing more of its face to its adversary.

"**Don't you mean…**_**our**_ **son?**" The Kyūbi asked, making the shorter flinch and causing the taller to laugh.

"No, he's my son and your jailer; that's it." The shorter corrected but the Kyūbi only laughed harder.

"**Even so, I still don't see what I get out of it."** The Kyūbi said.

"We would get stronger and help us stay alive… or at least, continue to exist." Minato explained. The Kyūbi hummed to himself as Minato waited for him to reply. "We don't have much time!" Minato yelled.

"**And if I say no?"** Kyūbi asked.

"Then we have a greater chance of losing to our foes," Minato answered somewhat calmly. "Making you look weak for being in a weak host." Kyūbi snarled at the insinuation.

"**Hn… fine, but only because I do not want to look weak."** Minato smiled and held his hand out.

"Truce?" Kyubi looked at his hand skeptically before holding out his paw and grabbing Minato's hand, shaking it.

"**Truce."** A bright light appeared from their hands and they disappeared only to be replaced by a tall figure. His shaggy, blond hair with its tips tinted red was blocking a portion to his face as his black slitted blue eyes, looked around. The man moved over to the water and saw his reflection. He smiled but couldn't see it since a mask blocked the lower part of his face.

He looked down on his hands and saw his claws and noticed his change in attire. He was wearing a red shirt under a black trench coat with white flames laced t the bottom and black hakama pants with no shoes.

"**Such power… greater than I had first imagined"**The man said as he clenched and unclenched his hands. His eyes flashed red for a moment before they returned to their lively blue shade.

***.*.*.***

Naruto could feel himself coming back to the world of the waking and he sat up just as soon as he remembered his predicament. He looked around and saw that he was in some giant cave. Sunlight seemed to come from nowhere and boulders and grass decorated the area. He stood and looked around, trying to see if anyone else was around.

It made no sense; last thing he remembered was him falling down, heading head first for the ground but now he was in some gigantic cave with enough room for a small war to take place.

He took a step forward but stopped in mid-step when he felt something under his foot. He moved his left foot and saw a daitō. The blade was a pure silver with a black edge, a yellow whirlpool-like spiral as a guard, a black grip and a bright yellow pommel with a black spiked chain attached to the end of the pommel.

"Whoa…" Naruto bent down and picked up the daitō. He touched the chain and the grip before touching the blade itself.

'_**Naruto.'**_ Naruto looked around as he gripped the daitō with both hands.

"Who's there?" Naruto asked aloud, hoping to receive an answer.

'_**You don't see me? I'm disappointed.'**_ The voice seemed to taunt Naruto, making him angry.

"Show yourself!" Naruto shouted and the voice only chuckled. Naruto's eyes widened when pressure was suddenly applied to his entire body and he fell to his hands and knees. He gasped as air escaped his lungs in an attempt to run away from the harsh pressure.

'_**You have much to learn.'**_ The voice stated as Naruto struggled to stay on his hands and knees. After a few more minutes of being under the pressure, Naruto felt it leave and his body become light again. he stood up after composing himself and looked around.

He had dropped the daitō when the pressure suddenly came and still remained on the floor. He looked down and picked it up again but after some hesitation, he threw the sword away from him. The sword landed with its blade driven into the ground. Naruto's eyes widened when a pulse escaped the blade and used the ground as a medium to travel to Naruto.

Naruto jumped to avoid the pulse but even he knew he'd eventually have to come back down to the ground. As soon as he did, his world became fuzzy and he sat down, his legs spread out and his head leaning forward. He was fighting a losing battle as he struggled to stay conscious.

He knew he lost the moment he saw the daitō shaking, freed itself from the ground and the pommel head straight for his forehead.

***.*.***

Naruto slowly opened his eyes when he felt something dripping on his forehead and a harsh wind blow over his body. After regaining his vision, he saw that he was looking up at a sky stained by the black clouds. What was dripping on his forehead were some rain drops let loose from their imprisonment. He sat up with caution and when he was standing, his eyes widened.

He stood on a harbor that seemd to have no end in one direction while the other ended only a few feet in front of him. Surround him were violent waves and harsh winds. Thunder could be heard off in the distance and near the horizons, whirlpools could be seen spinning rapidly.

"Wh... Where am I?" he asked no one in particular. A flash of yellow came from behind Naruto and when he turned, he saw a man standing behind him. Blond, red-tipped hair, a black mask covering the lower half of his face, blue, pupil slit eyes stared into Naruto's eyes. His black trench coat rustled wildly as another wind passed over them. Naruto could tell the man was smiling by the way his mask was shifted upward slightly.

"Who are you?" Simple question, at least it seemed so in Naruto's mind.

"..." Naruto saw movement under the man's mask but no sounds followed.

"What?" The man seemed to repeat whatever he said before but still nothing came out of his mouth. Naruto glared at the man and walked up to him. Towering over him, the man just watched as Naruto stared up at him and waited for the boy to do something.

"Why won't you tell me your name?" Naruto asked and the man shook his head.

"It doesn't work the way, it seems." The man said and Naruto took a step back.

"That voice... it sounds familiar." Naruto whispered to himself. The man shook his head.

"I am here to help." The man said and another gust of wind ran over the two but only Naruto was affected by it. The man just let it try to take his trench coat but it was futile; the coat wasn't going anywhere. Naruto, however, almost fell off the harbor.

The man stretched out his hand and quickly held on to Naruto's collar. Naruto was surprised by the man's quickness and watched as he pulled him back to the harbor and then let him go.

"How old are you?" The man asked and Naruto shook his head, shaking off the odd chill that traveled down his spine.

"Eight." Naruto answered and the man's eyes changed from indifference to sadness.

"You're so young." The man said solemnly and Naruto raised an eyebrow. _'He looks just like me too.' _The man thought.

"Yeah well, sorry if I don't meet your standards." Naruto said sarcastically and the man shook his head.

_'He has her attitude though.'_ The man added to his thoughts. Naruto's eyes then widened as he took a step back.

"I remember now, you're that voice from earlier!" Naruto said with an accusing finger pointed at the man. Without hesitation, the man nodded.

"Yes I was." He answered and Naruto relaxed but stared at the man oddly.

"So what did you mean I had much to learn?" Naruto asked and the man stared at Naruto some more before turning.

The two remained silent as the sounds of the harsh weather abused their ears. Naruto watched the man before his attention turned to his environment. Why was the weather so bad?

"This isn't how it's supposed to be." The man finally said and Naruto looked at him again.

"What isn't?" Naruto asked and the man faced him again.

"There shouldn't be any violent waves, any harsh winds or rapid whirlpools. No thunder up in the sky, there shouldn't be a cloud in the sky; at least not this much." The man stuck his right arm out, his palm facing Naruto as he waved it slightly. "This is out fault." naruto raised an eyebrow.

"'Our'? How do you know it's not your fault?" Naruto asked and the man's hand dropped back to his side.

"This is our fault. This is the result of our disharmony." The man said and Naruto looked around.

"Don't you think that's a little... exaggerated?" The man shook his head.

"In this world, the balance between us is essential to our survival."

"Now I know you're exaggerating." Naruto said doubtfully. The man grabbed Naruto by his neck and lifted him off the harbor. he raised him up to his eyes and stared deeply into them.

"In this instance, I do not joke. If you want to be a Shinigami, then you will have to cooperate with me." The man said with conviction, earning a slow nod from Naruto who was scared by the man's sudden action.

"I am the spirit of your zanpakutō, the tool in which you use to battle your enemies, you're comrade that never leaves you." The man said seriously and it seemed that his words were starting to sink in. He extended his left arm out and out of thin air, the daitō from earlier appeared and the man gripped it tightly. "I am an extension of your soul." The man handed the daitō Naruto who grabbed it and held it tightly as another burst of wind passed over them.

"With some training and time, you'll come to understand your zanpakutō, understand me and use it to your full potential." The man let Naruto stand on his own two feet before kneeling in front of him. "With my help, you and I can become stronger as long as we work together. The most important thing for a Shinigami and his zanpakutō is teamwork." The man smiled with his eyes closed and Naruto couldn't help but smile as well.

"If that's out of the way, we can begin your training." Naruto blinked as the man started walking down the harbor.

"Wait!" Naruto yelled out but before he could continue, he was sucked up by wind and thrown into the skies. The last thing he saw was the man look up at him with purple eyes.

***.*.***

Naruto awoke with a jolt as he panted heavily and cold sweat ran down his face. The dream seemed so real and now, looking down at the daitō, he couldn't help but think it was.

_**'Are you ready to begin?'**_ The voice asked and Naruto looked around before smiling and nodding.

"Yes." Naruto stood and gripped the daitō with both hands.

**_'First we're going to work on your stance. Shift your legs until they're shoulder-length apart with the right leg slightly forward and the left leg back..' _**After doing as he was told, Naruto waited further instructions. **_'Grip the hilt tightly and concentrate on your zanpakutō.'_** Once again following instructions, Naruto closed his eyes after gripping the daitō tightly. His eyes snapped open when he heard the clinging or chains moving and something cold slither its way up his arms. he looked down and saw the spiked chains spinning around his arms and stopping at his shoulder.

"Whoa... awesome." Naruto commented.

_**'For the next year, I will teach you the proper stances, how to contact me whenever you need me, and any other basic thing you need to know.'**_ The man said inside naruto's subconscious. Naruto nodded before thinking about something.

"Why for a year? And why only the basics?" Naruto asked and the man chuckled.

**_'Isn't that your deadline?'_** The man asked and Naruto nodded his head after thinking it over. **_'And i'm only going to teach you the basics because you need to go to the Shinigami academy even if you know your stuff. This way, you won't get too bored in class.'_** Naruto nodded his head again. **_'Everything you'll need for the next year is in here. North from here is a place where you can take shelter. Food and clothes are supplied and there is a hot springs that I want you to go to after every training session.'_**

Naruto nodded his head and without further questions, Naruto began to practice with his zanpakutō's spirit teaching him from the inside of his head.

**[*.*.*.*]**

Hinata awoke softly as the sun's rays passed through her closed curtains and hit her eyes. She fluttered them open and yawned in her open and waiting hand. She sat up on her bed and her mind wandered to her dream from the previous night.

She remembered it being so realistic, so unlike her usual dreams. Her dreams would pertain to dates with Naruto but her latest dream seemed so real, so unlike her other ones. The Naruto in her dream last night acted like he usually did; happy-go lucky instead of the romantic she would dream up.

Her mood sobered when she remembered that Naruto was dead and his funeral was in a week. She got off her bed but before she could head to her bathroom, she heard the light thud of paper hitting the floor. She looked down and wondered what a folded paper was doing over her while she slept. She bent down, picked it up and unfolded it, reading aloud what was written inside

_Don't forget about me. I promised you I'll be back and I always come through with my promises.  
-Naruto_

Hinata felt all feeling in her hands go numb and the paper slid off her hands and onto the floor again. She was speechless, almost thoughtless; the only thing she was actually doing was thinking about the letter over and over again. A smile adorned her face as she remembered the promise Naruto made; she knew he would find some way to come back to her, this was Naruto who made the promise, she knew better than to doubt his word. With this in mind, she convicted herself to fulfill her promise and wait for him to return.

She ran into the bathroom and began her usual morning rituals and after she was done, she ran down to the dining room where she was sure her father, sister and cousin were waiting for her. She had always wondered why they would eat together, it's not like they cared at all if she was there. She guessed it was just the way the family's been run since... ever.

"Good morning father, Hanabi, Neji." Hinata greeted with a shy smile and a bow. As she would expect, her father bowed back, Hanabi shrugged and Hinata got her daily dose of Neji's cold stares and cold greeting.

"Good morning Hinata-sama." Hinata's smile wavered as the coldness of his tone reached her ears. She sat in her place just as the other Hyuga branch members appeared from the kitchen and began to serve the family their breakfast. After they left, Hinata began to eat the food in front of her. Hinata wanted something more than her usual breakfast which consisted of rice, seafood and other fermented foods.

"Hinata," Hinata looked up from her breakfast to her father who had stopped eating, looking intently at her. "After the academy, I want you to come directly home for some training. As the heiress, there are a few things that you are expected to know and do." Hiashi said in a no-nonsense tone. Hinata nodded as she swallowed the food in her mouth but not before noticing Hanabi's body become stiff.

"O-Ok father." She replied meekly; Hiashi nodded his head and continued eating. After they finished, they each went their separate ways except for Neji and Hinata who both attended the academy. Hinata walked a few paces behind Neji, just like every morning so she wouldn't be paranoid about whether or not he was glaring at her behind her back.

"Are you going to be attending the funeral of that loser?" Neji asked with the same monotonous tone he spoke with when he didn't want to show his true feelings. Hinata looked at the back of Neji's head with a hurt look.

"N-N-Naruto-kun is not a l-loser." Hinata said, defending her crush. Neji just turned his head a little to look at her before returning his gaze to the sidewalk in front of him.

"You are right Hinata-sama, he wasn't a loser; he was a failure and a mockery to the name 'shinobi'." Neji corrected himself, causing more pain to Hinata's heart. She was sure that Naruto and Neji haven't met before so how he could say such hurtful things was beyond her. "Lucky for all of us, he was killed before he was able to embarrass the entire village."

Hinata stopped walking as she hung her head, her short bangs covering her eyes and upper face. Neji, after five steps, noticed that Hinata stopped walking and turned to face her. He inwardly smiled, imagining the tears running down her cheeks and the sadness in her eyes. Before he could insult Naruto anymore, Hinata looked up at him, her eyes hardened with disappointment and what he guessed was disdain.

"You know nothing about him, cousin so do not speak so ill of Naruto. Speaking about another like that is unbecoming of a Hyuga." Hinata said, conviction in her voice and showing none of her usual meekness. She walked past the shocked Neji and couldn't help but smile a little at seeing his reaction.

For his part, Neji showed no more emotions after getting over his initial shock. However on the inside, he was angry and about ready to strike anything, specifically Hinata. He glared holes at Hinata's head as she walked confidently in front of him. He would get her back for that comment; he was sure it would be a while before he would have his revenge but patience was something he had. Oh, that day would come, he just knew it.

**[*.*.*.*]**

Elsewhere, Hiruzen sighed as he entered his office. He was just coming back from his usual morning walks with his mind buzzing with the proposition given to him by Danzo, Homura and Koharu. He hated it, he refused it but they were very adamant of it and it seemed that they were not going to be satisfied with his 'no'. He wouldn't be surprised if they went over his head and asked the Damiyo.

With an exasperated sigh, Hiruzen sat on his chair and closed his tired, old eyes. His mind wandered to the upcoming funeral and he couldn't help but let a few tears fall. It was his fault his surrogate grandson is dead; he knew it, and even tough Kakashi refrained from saying or showing it, he knew it as well. If he had taken better care of Naruto, he would still be alive, not dead.

He was tempted to just quit and let a younger shinobi take his place. Maybe Kakashi would do it; from his track record, he was a great leader with an 90% success rate as an ANBU captain. Or maybe one of his old students would do it. Orochimaru was definitely out of the picture, considering he was responsible for Naruto's death as well. Jiraiya is too much of a lecher to become Hokage and Tsunade is a drunken gambler with the worst luck in the entire nation, possible in the entire world.

Hiruzen hummed, though Tsunade did show great leadership during the third Great Shinobi War; the only problem was actually getting her to come and stay long enough to hear his proposition.

"Hey old man." Hiruzen snapped his eyes open, surprised to see one of his old students in front of him. Jiraiya smirked as he sat lazily on the chair in front of Hiruzen's desk.

"You're losing you touch old man, you didn't even flinch when I snuck in." Jiraiya taunted but became serious when he saw Hiruzen give him a weak glare. "What's wrong, you act as if someone died." Hiruzen's eyes became crescent fallen as he looked away.

"Who died?" Jiraiya asked seriously almost fearful to hear who had died. Normally, Hiruzen would mope about one of his shinobi's death but not show it. Now, however, the frown on his face showed that this death was important, at least to him it is.

"It… Jiraiya, it was your god son." Hiruzen stated emotionlessly and Jiraiya's eyes widened.

"N-Naruto's… dead?" He asked, his throat clenching up and his heart beating quickly. Hiruzen nodded and closed his eyes again. "How…" Jiraiya's voice left him as he saw his old sensei take in a deep breath before letting it out through his nose.

"Orochimaru." Hiruzen answered with his tone full with venom and disdain. Jiraiya had a shocked expression before it turned to one of pure rage but before he could rant, Hiruzen spoke up.

"He had somehow managed to take over Naruto's body and went on a rampage. He killed a good portion of the civilian population and at least an eighth of the shinobi ranks." Hiruzen explained, only adding more fuel to Jiraiya's fire. Hiruzen watched as his student stood from his seat and walked to the open window behind him.

"The funeral's in a week, at least show up for that." Hiruzen said and Jiraiya stopped before jumping out of the window, without another word. Hiruzen groaned as he closed his eyes again and leaned back in his chair; he was seriously getting too old for this.

**[*.*.*.*]**

Naruto slowly let himself sink into the hot springs before his body completely entered the hot water. He let out a content sigh as the water swallowed his body whole with his head sticking out of the water. It felt like the water was washing away all the ache and cuts, similar to what it did to dirt. Closing his eyes and enjoying the feel of the water on his sore body, he thought about how his training was going so far. Six days of hard training and he could tell that he was slowly progressing. His stance was still a little sketchy but nothing another few days couldn't take care of.

Along with that, his zanpakutō had been teaching him about patience and meditation. Naruto knew that was probably going to be one of the hardest things to master but he was determined to become stronger.

With his mind wandering, he thought on how Hinata was doing in Konoha since he left...

**[*.*.*.*]**

The sky poured down heavily as only five people stared blankly at the picture placed in front of the closed casket. The water dripped down the black casket and the attendants but they didn't care, the one in the casket had it much worse.

Hiruzen wore his Hokage robes as he mourned the loss of his grandson. Jiraiya, who stood next to him, was also mourning but the hate for his former teammate far overshadowed his grief. His face was contorted in pain and anger as his fist lay clenched by his side. He wiped what seemed to be tears from his eyes but could easily be mistaken for raindrops.

To his right was Kakashi, looking down at his right hand with disgust. From under his mask, a scowl was laced in his lips and he wished he could have thought of another way to stop Naruto without killing him. However, at the time, there was no time to think, just act. He clenched his fists tightly before loosening his grip and letting them fall to his sides. He looked up and stared at the picture of a happy Naruto, smiling fondly as he wished to have spent more time with him.

Kakashi turned his head to look at the newest member to join Naruto's funeral. He was surprised and had no idea how Jiraiya had been able to convince Tsunade and her apprentice, Shizune, to come to the funeral but he wasn't really complaining.

Tsunade was feeling a lot of emotions; the main one being regret. She regretted the fact that she had left Naruto alone in Konoha. She was the one who told Kushina of her pregnancy and knew Kushina and Minato very well, so why shouldn't she have stayed to help take care of the brat?

She sighed, she knew exactly why. After the death of Minato and Kushina, Tsunade wasn't sure she could handle being at their funeral so she fled with Shizune, her dead lover's niece, and wandered the elemental nations.

"Tsunade." Tsunade looked at the one who spoke her name and replied,

"Hmm?"

"Thank you for coming." Hiruzen continued with an even tone. Tsunade furrowed her eyebrows in worry at seeing her sensei with a broken look.

"No problem, beside, I owe it to the brat anyway." She said as she wiped a single tear from her left eye.

"You know… it was Naruto's dream to be Hokage." Tsunade looked at Hiruzen suspiciously, wonder why he would bring up something like that. "He reminds me a lot like your brother; same looks, same dream..." He continued and Tsunade looked at Naruto's picture, seeing the resemblance. Hiruzen knew he had just played a dirty trick but if his plan were to succeed, then he had to pull off all the stops.

"Since it doesn't appear that anyone else is coming…" Hiruzen trailed off when he heard footsteps approaching. The five attending the funeral turned and were surprised to see a young girl with short, dark blue hair walk to them, wearing a light purple kimono, holding an umbrella with her left hand and two roses in the other; one white and the other red.

"H-Hello, a-am I late?" She asked as she stopped in front of Hiruzen. Everyone smiled warmly and Hiruzen shook his head.

"No, you're not Hinata. Do you want to say goodbye?" Hinata nodded her head and walked by the five adults to Naruto's casket. Hinata stopped in front of it and placed her two roses by the other five red roses. She was curious as to why her father didn't simply attend to give his rose but she guessed he was just too busy running the clan. She turned and looked at Hiruzen.

"C-Can I see him… o-one more time?" She asked and Hiruzen nodded again. Hinata faced the casket again and opened it a little so the rain wouldn't get Naruto's corpse wet but just enough for her to look at him. She saw his whiskered face and smiled affectionately as she remembered seeing the same face smile all the time, even if half the time they were false.

She closed the casket and walked away, heading for her home so she could continue with her training. She wasn't going to be weak anymore; she wasn't going to let anyone push her around anymore and she definitely not going to let Naruto down. She will become stronger, so when Naruto came back to keep his promise, she could finally face him and tell him she like him.

Hiruzen watched as Hinata walked away, wondering what was going through the heiress's mind. Then he remembered something…

"Jiraiya, Tsunade, let's go to my office, there is something I wish to speak to the both of you about." Tsunade, Jiraiya and Shizune looked at him oddly but complied after they watched Naruto's casket be buried. Kakashi had a feeling he knew what was going to happen but didn't voice it. After they made it to Hiruzen's office, Kakashi left saying he needed some rest. Hiruzen dismissed him and then placed a silencing jutsu in his office. His three visitors sat in front of his desk as he took his place in his chair.

"Oink."

"Tsunade, how have you been?" Hiruzen asked, throwing everyone off guard.

"Uhm… fine?" She answered hesitantly. Hiruzen smiled and nodded his head.

"That's good to hear, and you Shizune?" Shizune jumped at the mention of her name as her pet pig, Tonton, oinked again.

"F-Fine Hokage-sama." She stuttered out. Hiruzen nodded again and Jiraiya growled.

"Get to the point old man." Jiraiya snapped, earning a glare from Tsunade.

"Alright Jiraiya; as you three know, I am old and there's no saying how much longer I'll hold out." He eyed the three's reaction and wasn't surprised with 'Jiraiya's suspicious expression and Tsunade's and Shizune's puzzled ones.

"So with this in mind, I've decided… to retire." Shocked expression replaced the three's old one as their mouth hung agape.

"What? Have you gone senile?" Jiraiya shouted but Hiruzen simply shook his head.

"So who are you appointing as your successor?" Tsunade asked and Hiruzen stared at both Sannins. Said Sannins looked at each other before both shook their heads.

"Hell no, not going to happen." Both said simultaneously.

"Well one of you has to do it. Kami knows I'm too old for this and I don't know of anyone else who can replace me. If neither of you do then Danzo would surely use this as an opportunity to take over and who knows what'll happen to the village then." Jiraiya crossed his arms over his chest and pouted.

"Well I have my spy network to think about and even then, you know how horrible of a leader I am. Tsunade seems more qualified to take on the job." Tsunade glared at Jiraiya but he ignored it.

"I need one of you two to take this job and I'm going to need the decision now." Hiruzen stated with authority and both Sannins had contemplated look.

"…"

"Fine, I'll take it." Shizune and Jiraiya looked at Tsunade, shocked as her declaration but Hiruzen smiled.

"Thank you Tsunade." Tsunade just shrugged it off. Shizune couldn't believe it, she had been out of Konoha for about nine years and now she was returning and actually staying.

"Tsunade-sama, are you sure?" She asked and Tsunade took a while before nodding.

"Well, now, let's get started on the paperwork." Hiruzen smiled innocently as he started to search for his resignation and for the papers that made Tsunade the official Godaime. He took out two piles of papers and Tsunade started to regret her decision, having the odd feeling that she would see much more piles of paper in her term as Godaime.

**[*.*.*.*]**

**_'You're still a bit rough but you've exceeded my expectations.'_** The man's voice said and Naruto smirked confidently.

"You think i could beat him?" Naruto asked and when his zanpakutō didn't respond right away, a vein popped from his head. "Jerk." The man laughed.

**_'Do what I've thought you over the last year and you'll do fine.'_** Naruto grunted with a nod.

"Don't want to keep him waiting."

***.*.*.***

Kenpachi stood in the middle of a dojo, waiting for Naruto to arrive. he wasn't really sure if he'd show up at all seeing as no one had seen him in the last year. He didn't care either way, he just wanted to eat and get this over with.

Surrounding him was his entire division plus Nemu who wanted to see if Naruto would show up as well. The division around them murmured in excitement and in doubt before silence reigned over them when the entrance doors slowly opened. They creaked in protest as a hooded figure walked into the dojo slowly.

Kenpachi's eyes opened a little before a sinister grin graced his lips. Nemu was surprised but adamant not to show it. Everyone was shocked as the figure walked up to the middle of the ring, in front of Kenpachi. The person wore a white trench coat with red flames laced on the bottom with a white hood over his head. The person slowly took off the hood and under it, yellow locks were seen.

"So you showed up, eh?" Kenpachi asked and Naruto nodded with a smile of his own. The wind whistled as everyone watched Naruto and Kenpachi stare at each other.

Starting off the fight, Kenpachi released his Spiritual Pressure. Naruto only flinched but it wasn't that noticeable. Kenpachi hummed to himself.

"Impressive." Kenpachi stated before reaching for Naruto. Naruto, however, jumped back, away from Kenpachi's reach. His smile widened and he knelt down on his left knee. He reached for something in his trench coat around his waist. He took out his zanpakutō and held it with both hands. He stood and shifted to his stance.

"Interesting." Kenpachi said aloud. Nemu's eye were wide and Yachiru was smiling insanely. Kenpachi spread his arms out and left his chest open. "Hit me with your best shot!" He offered and Naruto raised an eyebrow. "See if you can cut me, i dare ya!"

Naruto glared at him while he bent his knees, preparing to attack and remembering his zanpakutō's words. He jumped and headed straight for Kenpachi.

***.*.***

A sigh escaped a woman's lips as she entered into the Eleventh Division's barracks. Her long red hair was tied in a bun but even then it still stretched down to her calves. She planned on going to her room, taking a bath and sleeping in for the next forty-eight hours. However, her plans were crashed when she was stopped by two member of the division.

"Hey, you're back!" One of the two said. The woman smiled and waved tiredly at the one who called her who was a woman in her mid twenties, just like her except the other woman had brown hair. The man next to her, her 'friend', waved to her as well.

"Suki, Satoshi, what're you two doing together?" The red haired woman asked. Both looked at each other, blushed and looked away before Suki looked back up at the woman.

"I'm here to greet you from your year long patrol of Kurairai Town." Suki said and the woman smiled affectionately.

"Thanks." The woman said before hugging her friend.

"And I'm here to tell you about the fight Kenpachi's in right now." The woman smiled widely, forgetting about her fatigue.

"Who's the idiot this time?" She asked and Suki looked away but Satoshi smiled.

"Word is he's of Namikaze and Uzumaki descent." Satoshi answered and the woman's eyes widened. In the blink of an eye, the woman disappeared and appeared in front of the roofless dojo. She walked in and saw everyon huddled around the ring. Her eyes caught the person in the air and they widened.

Up in the air, ready to strike down her captain, was her son.

Kushina could not believe her eyes.

She gasped and almost fainted when Naruto brought down his zanpakutō down on Kenpachi's chest and blood and dust sprayed into the air. She felt someone's Spiritual Pressures spike up before disappearing again. She ran through the crowd, pushing back many other members until she was inside the ring. Shock decorated her face, as well as Kenpachi's, when Naruto jumped back and slashed his zanpakutō in the air, removing Kenpachi's blood from it.

The cut itself wasn't significant, pretty shallow but it was enough to show Kenpachi that Naruto was serious.

A fox-like smile appeared on Naruto's lips as he fell into his fighting stance.

* * *

**That's it for now, hope you liked it...**

**Don't have much time...**

**I'll have more comments later...**

**Next C****hapter: Tears of an Uzumaki, Blood of a Hy********ūga...**

******************Good luck with whatever and if you got a problem with me or one of my stories, please feel free to: Deal with it, Get over it or Choke on it...**  



	3. Tears of an Uzumaki, Blood of a Hyūga

**Hey...**

**Sorry it took so long to update but at least I did, right?**

**Right?**

**Anyway, enjoy the chapter, I'll explain a few things at the bottom...**

**_"The moment a child is born, the mother is also born. She never existed before. The woman existed, but the mother, never. A mother is something absolutely new."_  
****~Rajneesh**

**Chapter 3: Tears of an Uzumaki, Blood of a Hy****ūga...**

**Don't own anything...**

* * *

Unconcerned by the wound itself, Kenpachi stared at the slash across his chest before smiling and shifting his gaze towards the blond brat in front of him. Around him and Naruto, the members of the Eleventh Division remained silent, shocked by the seemingly impossible task of cutting their captain. Each had tried at least once to do this task and each one failed and received cuts and slashes of their own from their captain. However this stranger, this _child_, had managed to draw first blood from their immortal-like, fearless leader.

On top of a wall, a Shinigami watched Naruto waiting patiently, holding his zanpakutō readily for another attack. The little kid intrigued him so much, ever since he first heard about him. A Namikaze was right in his line of sight and he wanted to do nothing more than to take him under his wing. For this Shinigami, having a Namikaze to follow him blindly would make his plans a lot simpler and easier. Seeing the rate of his growth, he knew Naruto could become the ultimate tool for him to use. All he needed to do was seize the opportunity.

A random bystanding Shinigami blinked and looked up at the wall, only to see nothing. He shrugged his shoulders and returned his gaze to the fight.

Ikkaku Madarame, third seat of the Eleventh Division, watched in awe-struck silence as the blond kid waited for Kenpachi to make the next move. He had yet to make his captain bleed and here this kid was, slicing open Kenpachi's skin. No matter how superficial the wound was, the feat itself was nevertheless impressive in every sense of the word. The only other person to make Kenpachi bleed was a hot-headed, red head woman on their team.

"Ikkaku!" Speak of the devil. "What the hell's going on?" Kushina asked.

"You have improved kid, I'll give you that. But that's not going to save you from me!" Kenpachi said as he headed for Naruto.

"Tch, some brat challenged Kenpachi to a fight last year. I don't know the details but this fight is happening because of what happened last year... while you were away." He answered without facing the woman. His eyes were the only thing looking at her but after that, they moved back to the fight. Kushina just stared at him before also giving her attention to her son and captain.

_'Why are you here, Naruto?'_ Kushina thought desperately as she saw Naruto prepare himself for Kenpachi who decided to make the next move.

Over him like a snake over a mouse, Kenpachi brought out his sword and swung down in a single motion. Naruto blocked it and found that the weight on his zanpakutō was more than he thought it'd be. It was almost too much to bear but then the weight seemed to become lighter and Naruto found the strength to push back. Unknown to Naruto, his zanpakutō's spirit pumped his spiritual energy into the blade to help Naruto match the strength of Kenpachi's zanpakutō.

Kenpachi, smirking wickedly, now felt a sensation wash over him that he hasn't felt since his fight with a certain red haired woman. He felt like this kid would give him a run for his money. Maybe not now but should he survive the hardships that being a Shinigami came with, he would be a worthy sparring partner and an even better subordinate.

"You got a lot of tricks to pull out of that bag of yours, eh Namikaze?" Kenpachi shouted in glee as Naruto back-flipped away as Kenpachi raised his zanpakutō to bring it down on him again. When Kenpachi's zanpakutō hit the ground, it shook the ground with tremendous force, making everyone lose their balance. Everyone but Naruto who landed on all fours with his zanpakutō in his right hand. He stood up and fell back into his stance.

"Not in the mood to speak?" Kenpachi asked but Naruto didn't answer. Kushina hoped he would talk, just so she could hear her son talk for the first time since his birth. Adamant to keep his indifferent and powerful appearance, Naruto refrained from saying anything. "That's fine with me." Kenpachi ran to Naruto and Naruto rushed past him. Kenpachi tried to cut his head off but Naruto ducked a second earlier and saved his head from watching his body run away from it.

Naruto stopped at the edge of the crowd and continued running in a different direction. He continued this method; running to the edge of the crowd before running in another direction until he picked up speed and it appeared like there were three Naruto's running around Kenpachi.

"..." Kenpachi watched in interest as the three Narutos suddenly stopped and then ran towards him. He eyed the one nearest him and struck it with his zanpakutō. It faded away like a hologram and Kenpachi's eyes narrowed. He turned quickly and grabbed the Naruto in the air by his neck. This one let out a choking sound as he was held in the air by Kenpachi's left hand.

The third Naruto was also in midair but because it was not the original, it faded away when Kenpachi used his zanpakutō to slice 'Naruto' in half.

"Interesting tactic kid; sneaky, clever." Kenpachi complimented as Naruto struggled to free himself. For the first time since the match started, Kenpachi frowned. "In my division, we fight head on, no tricks, no strategy. Just good, old fashion fighting and killing if necessary." Kenpachi dropped Naruto and he moved away from Kenpachi. Standing tall with his chest puffed out and his eyes as cold and hard as ice, Kenpachi towered over Naruto.

"If you want to join this division, that's something you gotta remember." Kenpachi said and his sinister smirk returned as he gripped his zanpakutō with his right hand. "Now stand up, we're not done here." Out of all the things Kenpachi expected Naruto to do, smirking victoriously and sheathing his zanpakutō was not one of them.

"Actually, I finished a while ago." Naruto finally said and Kushina couldn't help but smile at hearing her child's voice.

"What?" Kenpachi asked in a voice that dared Naruto to defy him.

"You set up the rules, not me." Naruto said defensively. "'A scratch, I win; no scratch, I lose' those were my exact words and you agreed." Pointing to the slash Naruto gave Kenpachi on his chest, Naruto smirked. "I'm no doctor and don't really want to be one, but I'm going to say that's no boo-boo; that's a grade A cut, much worse than a scratch." Naruto explained and Kenpachi scoffed.

"Do you think I care? Fine, you won the bet but kid, you're way too much fun." Kenpachi said. "With Uzumaki and Namikaze blood flowing through your veins, even now, in your young age, you're a lot of fun. So fine, you're in, welcome to the Eleventh Division and blah blah blah. Now, let me show you how we welcome new members into the division." Before Kenpachi could do anything else, he lifted his left hand up and grabbed a zanpakutō that almost hit his chest.

Naruto raised an eyebrow at seeing some random woman come out of nowhere and stop the beast of a man from attacking him.

"That's enough." Kushina told Kenpachi as he smirked at her after registering the zanpakutō.

"Kushina, what timing." Kenpachi taunted and she grunted as she freed her zanpakutō from Kenpachi's grasp.

"What exactly do you think you're doing?" She asked and Kenpachi chuckled.

"What's it look like? Messing with the new kid." Kenpachi answered as if it was the most obvious thing in Soul Society.

"You know damn well who he is." Kenpachi smirked as he enjoyed watching some fight light up in someone's eyes.

"I had an idea." Kenpachi teased and Kushina kicked his back.

"Then why?" She asked.

"I want you to fight me again." Kenpachi said and Kushina scoffed.

"That's not gonna happen." She declined but Kenpachi chuckled.

"Don't I get a say in this?" Naruto asked and Kushina and Kenpachi stared at him. "I mean, no offense lady but this isn't your fight." Naruto said as he eyed Kushina oddly.

"Who are you anyway?" Naruto asked and Kushina was hurt by his words even though she expected them. Having died before he had a conscious thought, she knew he probably wouldn't even know she existed as Kushina Uzumaki, former Uzushiogakure shinobi, once Konohagakure shinobi, wife of the Fourth Hokage and loving, caring mother. He would probably remember her as the no good mother that abandoned him for a reason that he did not want to think about for fear of crying.

Still, in the years she spent in Soul Society, she had thought about what she would say to him should she ever see him again, she practiced and rehearsed it over the time span of nine years but now, when it really counted, she had no words to speak to her son. The pain and anguish she felt since being separated from her baby boy had been bubbling up in her stomach since she laid eyes on him. Now, it crawled up her throat and refused to move from its position.

It didn't even matter to her that she couldn't speak anymore, no words would be able to justify her actions, justify her for leaving her first and only child alone in the cold world of constant fighting and war. Knowing the kind of life a jinchuuriki had, having experienced it herself, she guessed that Naruto had little to no friends and probably no one to look out for him. Tears swelled in her eyes as she imagined all the cold nights he probably spent crying over his unknown heritage, wondering if his parents left because of the beast sealed inside him or just because of him, or if they were alive or dead. Maybe even going so far as to think he was the beast he contained inside. She wasn't sure if he was consciously aware of the beast that was sealed inside him or that was when he was alive but either way, he would feel like an outsider in his own village.

He looked so much like Minato but considering how he was acting, he was a perfect blend of Minato's self-control and cleverness and her impatience and lust for a good battle. She wiped a tear from her eyes and shook her head. She still had no idea what she was going to say to him but whatever came out of her mouth, she hoped it would be fitting.

"I didn't know you were soft, Uzumaki." Kenpachi said, making Naruto growled at him because he thought Kenpachi was talking about him. Before he could retort, however, Kushina kicked Kenpachi in his sternum and drop kicked him in the face. She landed with a graceful back-flip and stood a few feet in front of Naruto. He stared at the back of her head as the momentum her red hair had came to a halt.

"Why do you keep defending me?" Naruto asked in irritation. "I've perfectly fine standing up for myself. I've been doing it my entire life!" Naruto shouted. Kushina turned to face Naruto and Naruto expected to see an angry face but shocked when he saw her tears. He could barely breath when she dropped her zanpakutō, fell to her knees and hugged him. His cobalt eyes widened in shock at feeling this woman hug him. She smelled like peaches and her skin was soft. He felt her tighten the hug and also bring him closer to her. His now moist shoulder remained ignored as he processed the situation he was in.

_'Spirit, what's happening?'_ Naruto asked his zanpakutō's spirit but he received no reply. Inside his mindscape, the blond man was holding back his tears. While he did fuse with the Kyūbi to become this new entity living in Naruto's zanpakutō, Minato's memories and emotions have remained. In fact, because of the Kyūbi really only being a mass of chakra with an animalistic brain that retained some intelligence while in its former jinchuuriki, Minato was able to retain control of the brain. The upgraded body and power was all thanks to the Kyūbi but all the thinking going on was his doing.

Once in a while he could feel the anger and frustration the Kyūbi obtained during his life span inside the Uzumaki clan's multiple jinchuuriki but with a little meditation and will power, he was able to subdue it for another time. He had wandered in Naruto's mind before, to make sure the Kyūbi would not be a problem in the future but he couldn't help but feel like the Kyūbi would rear its ugly head again. Not soon but someday.

_'We failed him Kushina.'_ The man thought, having seen Naruto's memories during his exploration of Naruto's mind. A single tear escaped and slithered down his left cheek.

Outside his mindscape, Naruto gently pushed the woman off his so he could see her face. Studying her face, Naruto couldn't help but feel some sort of connection to her. He wasn't sure what it was, whether good or bad, but he knew he had a connection with this woman and was familiar with her. Still, he couldn't help but feel sorry for her.

She pulled away from the hug and surprised him again by smiling warmly at him; the kind of smile that mothers usually reserve for thier child.

"Naruto. You're so big." Kushina finally said and Naruto's eyes narrowed.

"How do you know my name?" Naruto asked her, her smile never wavering.

"Because... I'm your mother." Naruto's eyes widened and stared at Kushina with his mouth agape. Spirit shook his head.

_'Wrong move, Kushina.'_ Expecting Naruto to tear up and hug her back, she was disappointed and shocked when he slumped his head and shoulders forward and began to chuckle.

_'Did I miss something?'_ She thought, a bit hurt by his spontaneous laughter. Naruto wiped of a tear and took a step back from the woman. He brushed off her hands and let out a sigh.

"That was a good one." Naruto said with a smile. He shook his head and crossed his arms over his chest. "As far as jokes go, that was a good one." Kushina felt more tears fill her eyes.

"This isn't a joke." She said, her temper starting to get the better of her. Naruto blinked.

"Calm down, lady. Jokes over. It's a bit of a touchy subject but no harm, no foul." Naruto told her but she shook her head.

"We should leave." Nemu said and Yachiru nodded her head slowly.

"You going to move?" Yachiru asked and Nemu said nothing as they and others stayed and watched Naruto try to calm the crying Kushina.

"Why don't you believe me?" Kushina asked him and Naruto frowned.

"Just drop the subject." Naruto said as he tried to turn and walk away but couldn't when Kushina held on to his right arm.

"Tell me!" Kushina shouted in anger. Naruto kept looking away, refusing to meet with her eyes. He held back his tears as his mind wandered to a memory. His fist clenched and his stomach turning, Naruto felt like lashing out at someone. He never would hurt a woman if he could help it but Kushina was pushing his buttons like no other.

"What do you care?" Naruto asked, his head leaning forward. His eyes were covered by his bangs but Kushina knew he was looking at him.

"Because I'm your mother an-"

"SHUT UP!" Naruto yelled loudly, interrupting Kushina. Everyone contained their breaths in their throats as an awkward silence shrouded the room. Naruto raised his head and glared at his mother. She gasped at seeing his pupil become a slit and his beautiful cobalt eyes shift to a stormy crimson color. His slit pupils thickened as he barred his teeth and tried to contain his anger.

"Don't ever joke around like that!" Naruto warned her. "I have no mother." Naruto said as he looked away.

"W-Wh-"

"Even if I had a mother... she abandoned me years ago. That goes double for my father." Naruto told her before snatching his arm away from Kushina's grip. Spirit flinched. "Wherever she is, she and my father are having a great life without me and that's fine with me." Naruto started to walk away. He stopped at the edge of the crowd and waited for them to part. When they shifted out of his way, he walked out of the barracks. Suki saw him walk out of barracks and ran into the dojo. She saw Kushina still on her knees and ran to her side.

"Are you ok?" Suki asked but Kushina just stood and used shunpo to leave the dojo. Kenpachi scoffed and walked away.

"That was troublesome." He stated. Yachiru blinked before smiling and running after Kenpachi.

"Wait up Kenny!" Suki watched as everyone else started to leave and decided to go look for Kushina.

Not watching where he was going, Naruto bumped into someone and fell back. He rubbed his butt and mumbled incoherent words before looking up and seeing a Shinigami pick up papers he dropped.

"Watch where you're going." Naruto said as he stood and glared at the Shinigami, taking in his appearance. He appeared as a mild-featured man with brown scholarly hair enhanced by square glasses. He wore the standard Shinigami uniform with a captain's haori. The Shinigami looked up at Naruto and smiled. Naruto felt Spirit's discomfort and paranoia of the man in front of them but he moved it to the back of his mind.

"I'm sorry but I'm sort of in a hurry." He said and Naruto scoffed.

"Me too." Naruto said and the man blinked.

"What's wrong?" He asked and Naruto shook his head.

"It's nothing." Naruto told him but the man smiled.

"It's good to let somethings out, even if you don't know the person." Naruto blinked.

"What's your name?" He asked and the man closed his eyes and Naruto saw that his smile was sincere.

"Sōsuke Aizen, captain of the 5th Division in the Gotei 13." He answered and Naruto eyed him again.

"Nice to meet you." Naruto put up a fake smile and walked past Aizen, not bothering to back at him.

"I would like some help with this." He said and Naruto sighed.

"Sorry, too busy." Naruto replied back and stopped when Aizen appeared in front of him using shunpo.

"I would really appreciate your help." Naruto cocked an eyebrow but Aizen never stopped smiling. "Don't make me use the captain card." Naruto sweat dropped.

*.*

"Thanks again for helping me." Aizen told Naruto as he stepped into his office in the Fifth Division's barracks. Naruto walked behind him with a huge stack of papers that easily overshadowed him.

"Yeah well..." Naruto said as he dropped the papers on Aizen's desk and panted. For pieces of paper, they were pretty heavy.

"I'll be honest with you, Uzumaki-san, there is another reason I asked for your help." Naruto nodded his head, letting Aizen know he was listening. "I wanted to help you." Aizen told him and Naruto sighed.

"Look, I appreciate it but I don't need it." Naruto said and bowed. "Now if you don't need anything else..."

"Pardon my intrusion but why were you so harsh to that woman?" Aizen asked and Naruto stared at him oddly.

"How-?"

"I could hear from outside the barracks." Aizen informed him and Naruto felt an odd feeling about Aizen. His instincts told him to be careful with this man and Naruto was going to do just that.

"I just had some issues before I... died." He answered Aizen's questions with some hesitance.

"What happened?" Aizen asked.

"I... I lived alone. I don't know what happened to my mom or dad and I don't care." Naruto said as he crossed his arms over his chest. No matter how many times Spirit had heard that, he would always feel a pang of remorse hit his heart.

"I'm sorry to hear that. It must have been a lonely life." Aizen consoled and Naruto shrugged his shoulders.

"Yeah but not completely." He replied nonchalantly and Aizen raised a eyebrow.

"So you had some companionship?" He asked and Naruto nodded his head. "Anyone special?" He asked again and Naruto blushed.

_'Well, there was Hinata-chan...'_ Spirit chuckled, having seen that memory.

"I can see by your blush that you had a significant other." Naruto's blush darkened and spread from his ears to his neck.

"N-N-No." Naruto denied and Aizen blinked, obviously confused.

"Oh? Then what is it that makes you blush?" Naruto shook away his blush.

"It was a friend I had. She was very nice to me." Naruto smiled fondly at the memory. "She means a lot to me."

"What was she like?" Aizen asked. Naruto would've normally found this question suspicious but he was too enthralled by his memory of Hinata.

"She had short indigo hair and pretty lavender eyes. She was nice, shy and I could tell she'd never leave a friend behind." Naruto smiled goofily. "In short, she was the best!" Naruto cheered and Aizen's eyes narrowed slightly as he smirked.

"I see." Not a second later, the door open and another captain entered the room. Naruto turned and saw that this captain had dark skin and dark brown braids. He had pupil-less eyes that were a pale lavender – almost white in comparison to Hinata's in Naruto's opinion – and were behind a pair of goggle-looking glasses.

"I'm sorry, I hope I'm not interrupting anything." The captain said and Naruto shook his head.

"I was just leaving." Naruto said as he walked towards the door.

"Uzumaki-san." Naruto stopped at the threshold on the door. He turned and saw the smile Aizen had on. For some reason, Naruto felt disturbed by it. "If you'd like to talk again, you know where my office is." Naruto gulped and nodded his head before leaving. He closed the door behind him and the dark skinned captain faced Aizen.

"Was that the Namikaze?" Aizen nodded. "What was he doing here?"

"I needed his help and he offered his services." Aizen answered and the man cocked an eyebrow. "By the way, Tōsen, I need your help in something." Tōsen nodded his head obediently.

"What is it, Aizen-sama?" He asked and Aizen smirked as he removed his glasses to wipe the lenses with his shirt.

"I need you to go get someone for me."

***.***

Naruto sat with his knees in his chest and his arms wrapped around his legs under a white tree not too far away from the hill he fell off of a year ago. Surrounded by the serene white trees and occasional soft breeze, Naruto was able to calm himself before he burst into tears after thinking about his mostly lonely life in Konoha. A couple of tears strayed from his eyes but it wasn't a lot.

"That's wasn't funny. She pushed it too far. What do you think, Spirit?" Naruto asked Spirit as he could feel his zanpakutō pulse and suddenly, in front of him sat Spirit. His blond hair seemed brighter out in the real world. His black hakama pants and trench coat didn't seem affected by the wind but for some reason, his hair shifted once in a while from the breeze.

**"I think you were a little harsh, to be honest."** He answered and Naruto scoffed. Naruto wasn't worried about anyone overhearing them; they'd only be able to hear his voice. As far as everyone was concerned, Naruto was just being a little kid and talking to his imaginary friend.

"Who asked you anyway?" Naruto grumbled and Spirit chuckled. Naruto stared at the ground somberly. Spirit noticed his solemn mood and shifted his body to the left of Naruto.

"**What's on your mind?"** Spirit asked and Naruto sighed.

"What... what if she's really my mom? What should I do?" He asked and looked up at Spirit. He only looked away.

"**I don't know. I can't answer that."** He then stared into Naruto's cerulean eyes. **"Only you can truly answer that. What would you do if you found out she really is your mother?" **Naruto looked at his feet, finding a sudden interest in them. He shook his head after thinking it over.

"I don't know. Can I really forgive her?" Naruto said and looked at Spirit for guidance. Alas, his blue eyes were covered by his eyelids; thinking passively. Naruto decided to do as his spirit and closed his eyes, taking deep, even breaths. He evened out his breathing and felt his body relax.

"**Clear your mind."** Naruto heard a rough voice say. **"Let your mind wander; forget about the trivial things and relax."** Naruto did as he was told, feeling his mind wander into the depths of his consciousness.

Silence.

Nothing was heard except for the soft sounds of leaves rustling from the wind. The day blushed; red tint painted over the once blue sky. The opposite side of the sky was shaded a beautiful indigo color with the stars decorating its unique and intriguing beauty. Whatever animal resided in the white forest remained silent, also admiring the transition from day to night in silence. The moon had yet to make its appearance but soon enough it would take center stage once more.

Naruto sniffed the air and smelled the pleasant aroma of peaches and nature mixed into his nose. Naruto sighed.

"You found me." He said as Kushina walked up to him, watching him carefully.

"It wasn't that easy; you're pretty fast." She told him and Naruto smirked, his eyes still closed.

"I get that a lot." Naruto stated. "So what do you want?" He asked somberly.

"I just wanted to talk to you." She said as she stood a few feet in front of him. She stared down at him, watching him, taking in his image.

_'He looks so much like Minato, it's scary.'_ She thought and Naruto popped open his left eye. His cobalt eyes moved up and connected with Kushina's gray-violet eyes.

"A picture lasts longer, ttebayo." Naruto said and Kushina sweat dropped.

_'But he acts like me. And that catchphrase.' _Kushina smiled softly. _'He's definitely my kid.'_

"So, what's on your mind?" Naruto asked as he leaned back and let his back rest on the tree. Kushina sat in the lotus position, facing him.

"Why don't you believe me?" She asked, knowing subtlety wasn't her strongest suit so she decided not to beat around the bush. Naruto sighed as he rubbed the back of his neck with his right hand.

"This again. Look, I don't believe you for many reasons. Don't take it personally, I just have the horrible habit of not completely trusting strangers." Naruto told her.

"But I am your mother." Kushina insisted and Naruto groaned.

"Look... uhm...?"

"Kushina."

"Right. I find it hard to believe that after nine years of living on my own, I'd run into my own mother in this place. Whatever this place is. My mind is still having trouble accepting all this new stuff." Naruto said calmly, hoping to drive the insane woman away but she was a lot more hardheaded than most.

"How can I prove to you that I'm your mother?" Kushina asked and Naruto hummed to himself after considering her question.

"What's my name?" He asked.

"Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze." Kushina answered right away.

_'Why does everyone keep saying that?' _He angrily thought. "What's my favorite food?"

Kushina hesitated.

"Ramen?" Naruto eyed her suspiciously.

"...lucky guess..." He said and Kushina giggled. For some reason, Naruto liked the sound of Kushina giggling. It gave him a fuzzy feeling but he decided to investigate it later. "What's my favorite flavor?" He asked and watched as Kushina took more time to answer this question.

"**Miso... miso." **Spirit chanted and Naruto glared at him.

"Who's side are you on?" Naruto asked and Spirit smiled and shrugged his shoulders.

"**Not like she can here me."** He retorted and Naruto scoffed. Lucky for him, Kushina was too busy thinking to notice Naruto talking to the air.

"I like salt ramen the most so... salt ramen?" She answered, a little unsure. Naruto smirked.

"Nope, miso." Kushina sighed and hung her head in disappointment.

_'He has Minato's taste.'_ She thought.

"Looks like you got that one wrong." Kushina looked back up and glared.

"I'm only human." She said and Naruto shrugged his shoulders. "Ask me another question." She demanded and Naruto searched his mind for another question.

"Alright, alright, hold on." He put his left hand over his mouth and hummed. "If you really are my mom, you'd know my favorite hobby." Kushina pouted.

"Well that's not really fair. It's not like I've known you all my life. All I know is that you're my kid." She informed him and Naruto scoffed.

"If I was really your kid, you'd know my favorite hobby. What was your favorite hobby?" He asked and Kushina beamed.

"Pulling pranks, of course." Naruto stared at her incredulously. She closed her left eye and grabbed her right bicep with her left hand while keeping her right hand up. "No one could pull a prank better than I could." She told him with pride and Naruto couldn't stop the smile from gracing his lips.

"I bet I could." He challenged and he saw that she was intrigued by his challenge. He frowned and shook his head.

"Next question: where was I born?" He asked and Kushina blinked.

"Konohagakure." She answered easily.

"When was I born?" He asked again.

"October the tenth."

"Day or night?"

"Night."

"Really?" He asked and she nodded. He shook his head again; he had no solid reason to believe this woman. Well... she did know the answers to most of his questions and she did seem sincere.

"How did I get these?" He pointed to the three whisker marks on his cheeks.

"Birthmark." She answered and Naruto could see no reason not to believe this woman. His instincts told him to trust her, she showed no deception in her words or body language and she acted just like he did. If she was his mother, then her reaction should be predictable by his next question. His heart weakened at the question and he honestly didn't want to ask because he felt vulnerable for asking but he knew he had to.

"...why did you leave me alone?" He asked seriously and Kushina was thrown off by its suddenness. She frowned sadly and looked down.

"I didn't want to." She said and felt herself biting her tongue to fight back the tears.

"If you were really my mom, why did you leave me in Konoha... alone?" Naruto asked sadly, almost desperate. His needy blue eyes broke Kushina down and she let a tear fall.

"I didn't have a choice." She told him and wiped away the tear. "You were in danger and if it wasn't for your father, all three of us would be dead." Naruto's eyes widened.

"I sacrificed myself, your father sacrificed himself as well to make sure you lived on." She said as she moved closer and gently held his left cheek. She smiled warmly as more tears accumulated in her eyes. "You look so much like him but you act like me." She reclaimed her hand and clenched it tightly, placing it over her chest. "I'm so sorry."

"I..." Naruto stopped as he watched his mother sob. She looked away, she didn't want her son to see her cry. She felt embarrassed for crying in front of him; he deserved a stronger mom, something she couldn't be at the moment. Her eyes sprang open when she felt Naruto hug her. Tears moistened her left shoulder when he rested his head on her shoulder.

"I believe you." He said and Kushina smiled and hugged him back.

"My baby boy." Naruto chuckled through his tears.

"That's embarrassing." He said and Kushina giggled.

"Get used to it." She ordered and Naruto shook his head.

"Eventually." They laughed once more and after holding each other for a moment longer, they wiped their tears and Naruto eagerly asked her about her life. As she told him her stories, he kept a goofy smile laced in his mouth that reminded her of Minato.

_'I wish you were here with us, Minato-kun.' _She thought.

_'After all these years... I finally have a mom.'_ Naruto said to himself as he laughed at a joke Kushina told him. After talking throughout the night, Naruto laid his head against Kushina's shoulder and slept soundlessly. Kushina sleepily watched him and smiled. She was glad to have her child back in her arms and to have a chance to be in his life. She had nine years to make up for and she wasn't about to let a single moment go to waste.

Finally, her eyes become to heavy to keep up and she allowed sleep to consume her.

**[*.*.*.*]**

On top of the Yondaimes's head, Jiraiya stared down at the village as it slept soundlessly. The night air was fresh and smelled of trees. Not a single soul wandered the village at this time and it was exactly what Jiraiya was hoping for.

He was only in the village to make sure they didn't make another stupid mistake that would potential make him consider his loyalty. He sighed and closed his eyes, taking in the night air.

"If I had done something... if anyone had done anything, maybe he would be alive today." Jiraiya said to no one.

"You think so?" He wasn't surprised when he heard the smooth and sultry voice of Konoha's Hokage. It's been an hour since he's been in Konoha, he was more surprised she hadn't found him earlier.

"I honestly do." He assured her and Tsunade scoffed. He turned and met her gaze. "We could've protected him."

"Tch, maybe. Considering that I'm a drunken gambler with the worst luck in the world and you're a lecherous perv that's always chasing tail, I doubt there's much we could've protected him from."

"Orochimaru wouldn't have touched him." He mumbled and Tsunade sighed.

"That's the past; you should learn how to let go." She advised him and he stood and faced her.

"Me? Let go of the past? That's a laugh coming from you." He barked and Tsunade glared at him.

"I'm just saying-"

"And I'm just saying that you should take your own advice." Jiraiya said coldly and Tsunade looked away.

"I know. I'm working on that." Jiraiya scoffed. "But you know I'm right." He looked away, not acknowledging her statement.

"I just feel like we let Minato and Kushina down." Tsunade frowned and stood a few inches away from him.

"You're not Jiraiya." Jiraiya blinked. "You're not the same Jiraiya I knew when we were kids. You're too pessimistic." Jiraiya shook his head at her statement. "What happened to him?" She asked sadly.

"He died... along with Naruto." He told her.

"He can't die. As long as he has someone to care for, he can't die." She insisted. She had to get through to him; sadness and sorrow didn't look good on him in her opinion.

"Who do I have to care for that's still alive?" He shouted, meeting her eyes with his and soon regretting it. He saw pain shroud over her beautiful brown eyes and he wished he could take his words back.

"I see." She took a step back.

"I didn't mean it like that." He reached out for her arms but she pulled them back. "You know I care about you. I'm crazy about you." He told her with a sincere smile.

"So what did you mean?" She asked him, her eyes pleading for his answer.

"I... I don't know." He grabbed her waist and pulled her closer. "All I know is that I care for you."

"Really?" She asked and he nodded his head. She smirked as she tilted her head back and leaned on him. Her lips only a hair's length away from him. "Then show me." She whispered, sending chills down his spine. His lips faintly touched hers before he he pulled them back.

"I'm sorry... I'm not good enough." Tsunade looked crestfallen. "Not yet. But soon, I'll come back and make you mine." His arm lingered at her waist before letting her go and walking to the edge of the Yondaime's head. He turned and smiled at her. "Will you wait for me?" He asked.

"I don't know... my heart's been through a lot as it is." She answered honestly. Besides the Sandaime, Jiraiya was the only person alive she cared for and if anything happened to him...

"Fair enough." He turned and faced the village again. "When I come back, I'll have hopefully redeemed myself. And then I could make you mine forever." He waved at her without turning.

"So long, Tsunade-hime." He jumped off the ledge and after landing gracefully, he headed for the gates. While on his way, he noticed a young girl practicing on her taijutsu. He knew her from Naruto's funeral, the Hyūga heiress. He wanted to help her but he wanted to leave the village more and he whispered a soft 'good luck' and left.

Tsunade watched him leave with a smile and a tear trickling down her cheek.

"Baka, I already belong to you." She walked back to the office without hurry. Leisurely, she walked down the steps and wiped away her tears. "We were just to stupid to see that."

As she saw the Hokage's tower come into view, she heard a faint and soft grunt come from somewhere in the training grounds. Normally, she wouldn't have cared who was out there but for some reason, she was curious. She walked into the forest and followed the sound of someone grunting until she stood at the edge of training grounds thirteen, watching a young girl continuously hitting a log. If Tsunade didn't know any better, she'd say she was using the Hyūga clan's trademark fighting style.

She wore a dark colored shirt and pants with blue shinobi shoes. She seemed to be breathing hard and was close to fainting from exhaustion. Tsunade leaned against a tree as she watched the girl stop to take a break and pick up a bottle from the side of the log. From under the moonlight, Tsunade saw a dark liquid on the girl's knuckles and on her palm.

Soon, the girl turned her head slightly and Tsunade saw her lavender, pupil-less eyes and knew she was looking at the Hyūga heiress. She cocked and eyebrow as saw Hinata hang her head forward with her eyes closed. Unbeknownst to either of the women, a second pair of eyes were watching Hinata.

"I still miss you, Naruto-kun." She said and Tsunade was surprised to here this and smiled softly."It's hard to get stronger for you but I'm not giving up."

Tsunade smiled and walked away, deciding to call the girl up tomorrow and have the girl train under her so she could help her become stronger. Unknown to her, Hinata would soon become stronger than anyone had ever imagined because lurking in the shadows, a creature watched the Hyūga girl and smirked. It snapped its fingers and the indigo sky cracked until a piece fell. From the missing piece, a white mask looked through the piece and stretched it open and cried out. It forced the opening wider to allow its body to enter the new world.

Hinata flinched and looked around, wondering what on Earth could create such a horrible and terrifying cry. Her eyes landed on the humongous beast a few yards to her left. It was at least five stories high and had a white mask with an elongated nose. It was covered from head to toe with a black covering reminiscent of a cloak. Around its neck its was a row of thin white spikes. It had large, pointed feet wrapped in white bandages and all in all, Hinata was terrified.

Half a mile away from her spot, two Shinigami froze as they saw a Menos pop out of nowhere and cry into the night.

"A Menos?" One of the two shouted in fear. The second almost dropped his zanpakutō.

"Call for back up!" The first shouted before running towards the Menos. The second nodded and took out his phone.

**[*.*.*.*]**

Kushina opened her eyes when she sensed someone near. She turned slightly to the left and soon saw Ikkaku appear.

"What do you want?" She asked and looked at the sky. "Dawn's not supposed to come up for about another hour or so."

"A mission's come up." He said and she scoffed.

"I don't care, ask someone else to do it." She answered and Ikkaku smirked.

"I've been told it involves your old home." Kushina's eyes widened.

"Konoha?" She asked and Ikkaku nodded his head. She bit her bottom lip before looking at her son who was still asleep.

"Come on." She said as she got up with Naruto in her arms. They used shunpo to leave the forest and end up outside the Eleventh Division's barracks. There, she saw Yumichika waiting for them.

"We're going to be late." He said and Kushina scowled at him.

"Let me put my son to bed and then we'll go." She said but before she could move, Naruto jumped out of her arms and stretched.

"I don't think so." He said and yawned. "I miss Konoha." He told her. "I'm going." His blue eyes connected to hers to show he was serious.

"It's too risky." She said and Naruto raised an eyebrow.

"You don't even know what the mission is." Naruto said and Kusihna sweat dropped and looked at Ikkaku. He just sighed.

"We got a call from team 10 saying that there was a Menos attacking." Kushina's eyes widened.

"A Menos? Well there you go, too dangerous." Ikkaku grunted.

"There's something else." Yumichika added and Kushina blinked.

"Apparently, there's another Hollow with it... however..." Ikkaku paused as he thought over his next words. "The second Hollow... is no ordinary Hollow." Kushina raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean?"

"Come on, we don't have much time!" Ikkaku shouted impatiently as he stabbed the air with his zanpakutō, causing a vertical line to appear and spread out, causing a sliding door to appear. Summoning three Hell Butterflies, Yumichika and Ikkaku jumped through the Senkaimon. Before Kushina could tell him anything, Naruto jumped through the door, his chuckle could be heard echoing.

"Damn it, Naruto." She mumbled as she followed after them.

**[*.*.*.*]**

Hinata looked up at the beast with wide eyes and felt her body shake with fear. The beast, sensing something under it, looked down and saw a small meal. Hinata tried to run but her body refused to listen; she tried to scream but her throat was clogged by her fear. The Menos bent down with its mouth open, ready to devour her and finally, Hinata felt her legs respond to her brain's commands as she jumped out of the way.

She rolled and stopped to see the Menos growl at not having its meal in its mouth. Relocating its prey, the Menos dove in for its second attempt. It moved faster than Hinata could and she knew she was doomed. Closing her eyes, she hoped her death would be painless.

_'Naruto-kun... I'm coming, Naruto-kun...'_ She thought. After a few second, she felt nothing and when she opened her eyes, she was surprised to see that the beast was being held back by a man in a white shitagi, a black kosode, a black hakama, a white hakama-himo, white tabi, and waraji. He was using a katana to hold the beast back but he was struggling.

"A-Are you ok?" The man tensed and looked back.

"You... You can see me?" He asked and Hinata nodded his head. "Well if you can hear me too, run!" He shouted and Hinata nodded before hesitantly running off. Her legs gave away before she left the clearing and she fell on her right side. She looked back and saw that the man forced the giant beast to the side and let it hit the ground while he jumped in the opposite direction.

A second later, a second man in the same uniform appeared by the first's side.

"We should end this quickly." The first said and the second nodded his head. As the Menos raised it head, the two fell into a fighting position with their katana and jumped high into the sky. Hinata watched in awe-struck silence; never had she seen someone jump that high. They struck the beast multiple times before it bellowed in pain. The first Shinigami jumped over it head and prepared to strike down the Menos but was surprised when a red light shined from its mouth.

"Raiku! Look out!" The second shouted as the Menos opened its mouth and evaporated the Shinigami with a cero. Hinata's eyes widened as she watched the Shinigami get obliterated.

"Bastard!" The second shouted in anger as he raised his Spiritual Pressure and swung at the Menos's mask. The Menos roared in pain again before moving back and grabbing the sky like a blanket. It wrapped it around its body before disappearing. The surviving Shinigami clenched his teeth in anger in losing his friend. He wished he had the strength to completely annihilate the Menos but he knew he had to settle with hurting it.

He turned to look at Hinata and sighed. Hinata was about to say something when she saw another man suddenly appear behind the Shinigami. The Shinigami realized there was someone behind him and when he turned, he received a hand through his chest.

"AH!" Hinata shouted as she watched the Shinigami stare at the man with vacant eyes before collapsing and hitting the ground with a dull thud. The man shook his head, removing the Shinigami's blood from his right hand.

The man remind Hinata of a prowling jackal, with his attentive eyes and sharp posture. He had slanted black eyes that were like two drops of oil. His thick, wavy, brick-red hair was worn in a style that reminded her of a fluttering flag. He was about the size of an average man and had a graceful build. His skin was deeply-tanned but on his forehead was something that looked like a fragment of a skull. He turned his onyx eyes towards Hinata and smiled.

Hiding in the trees, a figure frowned and took out a small bottle from its pocket.

_'I have no choice but to use it.'_ The figure thought as it drank the contents of the small bottle.

"You." He raised his hand and pointed his bloody finger at her. Hinata, still frozen stiff from the man's kill, showed no outward expression except for shock and fear. "Hey!" Hinata blinked repeatedly and locked eyes with the man. "You're coming with me." Hinata gasped and watched as some kind of energy bolted from his open palm and entered her mouth. The blue stream felt like a sort of liquid as it traveled own her throat and she then lost consciousness. Her body fell to the ground as the blue stream of energy suddenly enveloped her. He chuckled as he closed his hand and the blue stream pulled something from her mouth.

Hinata slowly opened her eyes as she felt herself start to wake up. She sprang up as she saw the man have both hands on his side, smirking at her. She was confused, remembering that he had done something to her but she didn't feel any different. She looked around.

"W-Wha-?" She was surprised to see her body laying unconscious next to her. She raised her hands to her chest and felt something cold. She shifted her gaze down and saw a chain connected to her chest.

"Don't make this anymore diff-" The man stopped short when he felt a presence near.

"**Hadō #31: ********Shakkahō****." The man** frowned and jumped back, avoiding getting hit by a red ball of energy. Both looked in the directing in which the attack came from and saw a figure standing in the darkness. Hinata noticed the figure was wearing the same attire the now dead men once wore.

"Leave her alone" The person said and Hinata's eyes widened.

_'That voice... it can't be.'_ Her heart ran at a thousand miles per hour as the person stepped out of the darkness. The man scoffed and put his hands in his pockets.

"And what if I don't?" He asked, challenging the person who interrupted his mission. He saw that it was a woman and felt his worry lessen. He wanted to laugh for actually worrying about having to fight a tough opponent but it just ended up being a female. The woman glared at the man as her long, purple hair was pulled into a ponytail. Her white eyes glared daggers at man. The woman took out her dual zanpakutō and held it with both hands.

"I'll kill you." She said expressionlessly and the man involuntarily shook.

"M-M..." Hinata stuttered and the woman looked at Hinata sadly.

"Hinata-chan." The woman said affectionately.

"M... Mother." She whispered and the man made a sound that ruined the moment.

"Blech!" Hikari turned her eyes to the man and shook her head. "If you two are done, I wanna go back home."

"No one's making you stay." Hikari suggested and the man pointed to Hinata.

"But my master wishes to have this girl." Hikari's glare intensified as she slowly moved in front of her daughter.

"You can't have her. As long as I'm around, she's staying here." Her white eyes stared coldly at the stranger but it didn't faze him. The sound of wind being disrupted was heard and he disappeared. Hikari shifted her two zanpakutō to the left and blocked the man's right arm. She was surprised when he had more force behind his attack than expected and even more when the blade didn't puncture his skin.

"You know, you're actually very pretty." The man taunted and Hikari sneered and pushed him back with a kick to his abdomen. He jumped back and landed on his feet with a smirk. She looked at Hinata and Hinata looked up with fear in her eyes.

"Run away Hinata-chan." She said and Hinata just stared at her before hesitantly standing and running. Hikari turned her attention back on the man, not seeing Hinata hide behind a tree.

"What's wrong?" The man continued to taunt and Hikari ran at him, swing both zanpakutō down and having it stopped by the man's left forearm. Her eyes sprang open.

_'What the-'_ Her thoughts were interrupted when the man sent his knee crashing into her stomach. She gasped as the air was knocked out of her and was sent back by a punch to the face. She rolled and used the momentum to jump to her feet. She wiped the blood from her lips and panted.

"You don't stand a chance against me." The man mocked. She cursed under her breath and closed her eyes, meditating.

_'I know it's been a while but please... still be there.'_ Hikari thought as started to glow a bright white light. Her eyes opened and pure white eyes locked onto the man. He was surprised when the ground under them was suddenly buried under snow.

"**Dance Across the Arctic Plains, Yukihime.**" Hikari shouted as her zanpakutō lit up and morphed into dual dao blades with an elegant lavender ribbon tied on each of the handles and hung off the pommel. The curved blades were as white as the snow that surrounded it with the kanji for 'Hime' written on both sides of the blades. Hikari ran at the man and stabbed his arm when he put it over his chest. He smirked when it did nothing but it disappeared when his arm was encased in ice. He frowned and tried to kick her stomach again but was shocked when it just went through her, as if she was made of the snow surrounding them. She smirked and elbowed him in the face.

He recoiled back and Hikari dropped and spun her feet to kick the legs from under him. He fell with his eyes closed and when he opened them, he quickly turned his head to the left, avoiding one of the dao blades from being buried into his right eye. Hikari jumped back just as the man spun and extended his legs to kick her. He jumped to his feet and smirked.

_'Just who is he?_' Hikari thought as she took in his appearance. His outfit looked like the inverse of her's; where a Shinigami's outfit was mostly black with some white, his was mostly white with some black. He also had some sort of skull fragment on his skull on his forehead which deeply worried her. It reminded her of a Hollow's mask.

"This is fun and all but I got a schedule to follow." He said as appeared behind her and shoved his right arm through her neck. Her eyes sprang open before she dissolved into snow. He cursed and tried to free his hand but was stopped when the snow wouldn't release him. Behind him, Hikari rose from the snow and shoved both blades into his stomach. He gasped and blood rushed out of his mouth. She retracted her blades from his body and jumped away.

_**'You're asking for a lot.'**_ Yukihime said as her spirit stood next to Hikari. She wore an elegant white kimono with a light purple obi tied to her waist. Hikari nodded her head. **_'What you have planned is crazy.'_** She continued with a smirk as she brushed a stray strand of her white hair back, Hikari nodded again.

"_Aren't they always?_' Hikari heard Yukihime laugh and she smirked. They both noticed that the man was still trying to catch a breather from her last attack and didn't face them.

_**'It's been great working with you.'**_ Hikari smiled sadly.

_'Same here. Hopefully, I'll still be able to communicate with you.'_

_**'I guess we'll see, won't we?'**_ Hikari then bent down with her hands out, her blades parallel to the ground and then stood up and raised her hands. The snow lifted with her and shifted into a human-sized snow-wolf. She fell into a stance as her feet sunk into the snow, keeping her steady. The wolf then ran to the man and she swung down, about to decapitate the man that threatened her child.

However, it wasn't his blood that painted the white snow under him.

At the last second, the man ducked, turned and drove his right hand through her chest. She gasped and fell off the wolf and the man's hand. She hit the ground and rolled as the snow started to melt. She coughed up blood as she tried to stand again. Her vision blurred and she shook her head.

"Mother!" Hinata shouted in sadness and tears. She looked at her and smiled with a little blood dripping from the corner of her mouth.

"It's the end for you." He said and as he stood in front of her, the melted snow shot up and skewered him when it froze into ice. He grunted in pain. He cursed as he sensed more people coming.

"Bitch." He cursed at her and she smirked as she melted into the snow. The man broke the ice that was going through his stomach and took in a deep breath.

Hikari appeared in front of Hinata. Hinata was surprised her mother wasn't bleeding more but when she saw that she closed the wound with ice, she was glad.

"Mother." Hikari smiled weakly.

"Hinata-chan... You've grown up so much..." She stated weakly and Hinata cried and hugged her mother.

"I missed you so much." Hinata said as she cried into her mother's shoulder.

"You whore!" Both females looked up in fear when the man was slowly walking toward them, holding his stomach. The wound Hikari had left in his stomach was closed so he had no reason to worry about it.

"R-Run, Hinata-chan." Hikari said as tried to stand. By now, all the snow had melted away and Hikari knew she was too weak to summon any more.

"I... I won't leave you." Hinata retorted and Hikari smiled mirthlessly.

"You're so brave." Hikari commented as she stood in front of Hinata. She swayed but Hinata didn't let her fall.

"Time to die!" The man shouted but was stopped when a knee smashed into his right cheek and sent him flying across the clearing. Hinata and Hikari's eyes widened when they saw Naruto land in front of them with his eyes burning with passion. They glowed a crimson red and his teeth were clenched and bared.

"Stay away from them... or I'll kill you." Naruto shouted as the stranger stood.

"Naruto-kun." Both women whispered and Naruto looked at them and blinked. They were surprised again when they returned to their normal cobalt color. His pupils were once again circular.

"Hikari-san..." Naruto smiled and it widened when he looked at Hinata who stared at him with wide eyes. His eyes softened as they connected with hers. "Hinata-chan." He was given little time to reminisce as the man laughed.

"You think you can kill me, brat? I am Tikao! I am unbeatable!" He shouted and ran at him, ready to tear Naruto to pieces until he remembered his master giving him direct orders not to harm the blond. From a distance, a man stood, aware of everything that was going on and ready to strike down Tikao if he needed to. Tikao had hesitated for a second but it was long enough for Kushina to appear between them and shove her zanpakutō through his neck. He coughed and stared into Kushina's eyes before she kicked his chest and cut him down the middle.

"Bastard." Kushina spat as she walked away. The frown on Tikao's face changed to a smirk as he snapped his fingers. Kushina, Naruto, Hikari and Hinata were suddenly surrounded by Hollows of different shapes and sizes.

"Damn it." Naruto said and Kushina and Hikari looked at the man.

"It's rude to cuss, young man." They both said simultaneously and after looking at each other, they laughed.

"We're surrounded by Hollows and you still found the time to laugh?" Ikkaku said as he and Yumichika appeared next to them and Kushina rubbed the back of her head sheepishly.

"Get those two to a safe place, we got this covered." Ikkaku stated and Kushina and Naruto nodded as Kushina took Hikari and Naruto grabbed Hinata. She blushed at the contact and Naruto blushed a little at having his hands hold on to Hinata's waist. The two picked them up and ran to safety as Ikkaku and Yumichika started to easily defeat the Hollows.

After making sure none of the Hollows followed them, Kushina placed her hands over Hikari's wounds and her hands began to glow a light green color.

"This is certainly a surprise." Hikari said and Kushina laughed.

"Tell me about it. I didn't know you were a Shinigami." Kushina said and Hikari winced in pain. "Sorry."

"When did you become one?" She asked as she started to feel the pain go away.

"Nine years ago." She answered as sweat started to travel down her brow.

"You mean when you...?"

"Yeah." Kushina answered quickly, not really wanting to discuss her death, and Hikari nodded her head. She sat up with a bit of a struggle and looked at her friend. "What's your story?" Kushina asked with a smile, knowing that Hikari was done healing. There wasn't any more she could. She knew Hikari didn't have much time left in this world and was sure the woman knew it as well.

"I was tired of the Shinigami life. I came here to look for a calm life but instead I came into a world that's just as violent." She said and Kushina smiled.

"It was fun though." Kushina stated, talking about her adventure with Hikari and their friends. Hikari nodded and then looked at Naruto and Hinata who were talking and blushing. Hinata was mostly blushing and Naruto was mostly talking.

"They're so cute together." Hikari commented and Kushina raised an eyebrow.

"Hmm?" Kushina faced the two kids and watched as Naruto made Hinata laugh and then hugged her. She smiled softly and nodded her head. "I guess they are." Both adults turned their head as Ikkaku and Yumichika appeared.

"Well that was fun." Ikkaku said as he cracked his neck. "Wish there was more of them, though." He added.

"There was also something else." Yumichika said. "There was this Hollow..."

"What about the Hollow?" Hikari asked.

"It spoke, saying something about a master giving them orders to bring back a girl or something." Ikkaku said as he cleaned his left ear with his pinky.

"We're guessing he's talking about that little girl there." Yumichika said, pointing at Hinata.

"We found this suspicious but before we could ask any more questions, it blew up." ikkaku finished. Hikari looked at her daughter as she fainted in Naruto's arms, making the boy panic.

"I didn't do anything, I think." Naruto said in defense and Hikari smiled. She motioned Naruto to bring Hinata to her and Naruto picked Hinata up again.

"Hinata-chan, wake up please." Hikari said after Naruto placed the sleeping heiress in front of her and walked back. She gently held her face as Hinata's eye fluttered open. "Good morning, sunshine." Hikari joked and Hinata began to cry again, remembering when she used to say that when she was younger.

"Mother." Hikari hugged Hinata again as she wiped her tears away.

"I'm sorry dear but I can't stay for long." Hinata tensed and cried more. "I'm so sorry." She apologized and Hinata shook her head.

"I love you, mommy." Hinata said loudly and Hikari giggled.

"I love you, Hinata-chan." She said before she looked at Kushina and nodded her head. Understanding the meaning, Kushina nodded her head, a few tears in her eyes. The pain Hikari was going through was the same Kushina went through when she and Minato protected Naruto from the masked fiend. She turned her gaze to her son who was watching with teary eyes; she hoped she'd never feel that pain ever again.

Hikari began to light up and everyone was momentarily blinded by the light. When they could see again, they saw Hinata crying alone. Naruto slowly walked towards Hinata and jumped in surprise when she hugged him tightly. Naruto shook away his surprise and hugged her back.

"I'm sorry Hinata-chan." Naruto said and Hinata just sniffed and cried her eyes out.

"We're gonna head back for Soul Society. I'll let them know you're finishing up some business here." Yumichika said as he and Ikkaku opened the Senkaimon. Kushina nodded her head and they entered it. Kushina just watched in silence as Naruto comforted the crying Hyūga. Kushina turned her head just as the sun started to rise.

_'How ironic.' _Kushina thought mirthlessly. She brushed a stray strand of hair away from her face. She was hoping that no one she knew would get in harms way but life had once again screwed her over. The pain she felt the day she died had resurfaced with the loss of her friend and she knew it had to be worse for the young Hyūga crying in Naruto's arms.

"Come on, we should probably go." Kushina said and Naruto looked at her like she was crazy.

"I'm not leaving Hinata-chan behind. Not now." Kushina had to smile at her son's dedication to his friends and closed her eyes. She opened them again to see Hinata looking at her with bloodshot eyes.

"I never suggested leaving her behind. She's coming with us." Hinata's eyes widened while Naruto just left his mouth agape.

"Wh-Wh... what?" Naruto asked hysterically.

"I'll explain later but we gotta go." Kushina said as she summoned her Hell Butterfly. The sliding doors opened and Kushina stepped through the threshold. "You guys coming?" Naruto looked down at Hinata and smiled.

"Come on." Naruto said softly and Hinata nodded as she used her right forearm to wipe her tears. Naruto slowly led Hinata through the door and they disappeared into the light coming from the other side.

_'I promise to protect her as if she was my own, Hikari. That's a promise of a lifetime.' _Kushina thought as she entered Soul Society. Hinata looked around with wide, curious eyes. Naruto looked at her and smiled, guessing that the expression on her face was probably the same look he had when he first saw Soul Society. Both kids had a feeling that this was the beginning of a whole new adventure. They stared into each others eyes; a blush accompanied Hinata's small smile as Naruto smiled back. He stretched his hand out, motion Hinata to stare at Soul Society as a whole.

"This... is Soul Society." He proclaimed loudly.

* * *

**Hope you enjoyed the chapter...**

******I'd like to thank Dark Signer for suggesting Aizen's early encounter with Naruto and for Zentary for suggesting that Aizen should take a special interest in Hinata [non-romantically of course...]... Also to MehaandIruka, Zentary and Chewie Cookies for helping me with at least half of the chapter...**  


**Now, I need to explain a few things:**

**This story is... changing...**

**After a conversation with Zentary, I've decided to make the main focus of this story on Naruto making a living in Soul Society instead of having him return to Konoha later... I don't really feel like explaining but if you want want, send a PM...**

**Also, Naruhina will now happen a lot sooner now that I'm having Hinata come to Soul Society... I honestly could've waited to add any Naruhina fluff but because of circumstances and decisions, she's going to stay with Naruto...**

**That's probably going to be a problem for most of you but too bad... I'm a Naruhina fan and I'm not changing...**

**Also, in th last chapter, I had Renji and Rukia make cameo as students... I changed that so they're wearing the Shinigami's uniform, not the school's...**

**As far as the changes are going, I got nothing else...**

**Hopefully, Naruto's reunion with his mom was realistic and Hinata's small and sad reunion with her mom didn't ruin it with its sadness... Don't worry though, she'll feel better way later into the story...**

**I got much more planned for this story and I hope I'll keep your interest as it progresses...**

**What lies in store for Naruto now that he has Hinata and what of hinata going to the new world?**

**We'll see now, won't we?**

**Till then...**

**Next Chapter:...I don't know yet ^^; but I got the beginning typed so there's that...**

**********Good luck with whatever and if you got a problem with me or one of my stories, please feel free to: Deal with it, Get over it or Choke on it...**  



	4. Fight for the Innocent

**What's good?**

**Been a while, i know.. I'm sorry, life's got my by the handles!**

**Well, hope this chapter makes up for it!**

**Enjoy!**

**Chapter 4: Fight for the Innocent, Fight for a Friend!**

**I don't own either shows...**

* * *

"Phew, man I'm stuffed," Naruto chuckled as he leaned back and patted his stomach. "That was really good," He looked up and smiled at Kushina as she somehow managed to carry fifteen bowls from the table to the sink. Naruto stood and started to clear the table.

"Thank you Naruto-kun," Kushina said as she started to clean the dishes.

"What's with the sudden ramen breakfast? Not that I'm complaining or anything," He said as he finished. Kushina chuckled as he turned his head and happily smiled.

"Didn't you graduate yesterday?" Naruto blinked before a large smile graced his lips.

"That's right!" Naruto shouted with glee. Memories of the last six years zipped across his mind. The fun times he had, the pranks, the time...

Naruto's mood went south as he was reminded of a certain event that happened long ago. Kushina noticed this and immediately knew why his mood changed.

"It's ok, Naruto-kun. It's not your fault. The Hollow came out of nowhere," Naruto looked up with a forced smile that never quite reached his eyes.

"Yeah, you're right," Naruto turned and left the kitchen, bursting with new-found excitement. "I'll see you later mom!" Naruto shouted.

"What about Hinata-chan? She's still getting ready!" Kushina asked.

"I'll wait for her outside!" Naruto replied as he ran out of the Eleventh Division's barracks and down the path until he reached the end of the block to wait for Hinata.

As he did, he thought back to the last six years he spent with Hinata. They went to the Shinigami Academy together and were never separated. It didn't take long for Naruto to become Hinata's closest friend and vice-versa. Naruto couldn't ask for a better friend.

And yet, he would always feel his stomach twist and turn whenever he was with her. He found it odd and when he asked his mom why he felt that way, she would laugh and tell him stories about her relationship with his father. He had to smirk at the thought of his father. The Yondaime, _his hero_, was his father. At first, he was kind of hurt and angered by the idea of his father sealing a chakra beast into him but with time, some kind and reassuring words from his mother, he found the will to accept the choice he made.

Besides, his father was the Yondaime! How could he stay mad for long? Ever since this truth had been revealed, Naruto's zanpakutō had been more relaxed.

What was he thinking about?

Right, Hinata.

She was a mystery to him. She was not as shy as she used to be but she still had that shy, timid girl inside her that made her Hinata. Like her pretty yet timid smile, her cute blush that would always stain her creamy cheeks, and her beautiful lavender eyes.

He came to a completely stop and blinked at his thoughts.

_'That's... unexpected...'_ He thought. He then heard someone calling him out and turned to see Hinata running towards him. She wore the Shihakushō, which in Naruto's opinion, seemed to be a little tight in the... ahem, chest area.

He blushed at that thought and mentally cursed Shunsui for his perverted influence as Hinata stood in front of him with a shy but happy smile. She had that pink tint her cheeks always wore and Naruto couldn't help but smile. He couldn't deny that Hinata was pretty. She stuck out from the other girls; at least to Naruto she did.

"Hey Hinata-chan," Naruto greeted with a genuine smile and a hug. Hinata's blush darkened but she returned the hug without hesitation. She had gotten used to Naruto being around her but her blush and her occasional stutters were just habits that wouldn't go without a fight. So far, the fight was going in favor of the blush and stutter.

"You ok, you seemed a bit distracted?" She asked earnestly and Naruto looked away, a peeved look crossing his face.

"It's nothing," Hinata noticed his expression only for a second before Naruto donned a smile that crinkled his eyes. If she were anyone else, she wouldn't have given it a second thought, maybe doubting that the expression was actually there, but she knew better. "We graduated yesterday! We're finally honorary Soul Reapers!" He declared. Hinata smiled warmly and nodded.

"That's right, we are," she decided she wouldn't question his peeved expression... for now. "We're supposed to choose our Divisions today. Are you nervous?" she asked and Naruto laughed with a shake of his head.

"Kenpachi offered me a spot on his Division," Naruto answered casually. He mulled over his thoughts before shrugging. "Not completely true but either way, I'm sure the 11th Division is the division for me."

"That's great, I'm happy for you," Hinata said with a somewhat forced smile. It wasn't that she wasn't happy for him, really, but she wasn't sure which division she wanted to go to. First option was obvious; 11th division. Sure, they seemed ruthless, tough and all around not her kind of division but she could get past that if it meant spending time with Naruto.

However, all grown up, she knew that she had to go her own way. And besides, just because they weren't going to be in the same division didn't meant their friendship had to end. It just meant they'd see each other less... Maybe hardly ever...

Yeah, that was comforting...

"What about you, Hinata-chan?" Naruto asked and Hinata bit her bottom lip.

"I-I'm not really sure," she answered and Naruto frowned.

"Well that's not right," he hummed to himself and after some deep thinking, he snapped his fingers. "Let's go get you into a Division."

"But, wait, Naru-" she wasn't allowed to finish as Naruto grabbed her left arm and began to drag her. She saw Naruto smiling widely, happily. It was the kind of smile she rarely saw since that incident with Naruto and another student from the Shinigami Academy. She let him drag her to wherever he wanted, so long as that smile remained on his face.

After a few more minutes of taking in Naruto's smile, Hinata finally noticed that the two were standing in front of a barrack. The sign on the top of the entrance showed the Sixth Division.

"Let's start here!" Naruto said and Hinata gulped and looked a little skeptical. "I'm sure this is the Division for you,"

"But… But Naruto-kun," Hinata started but stopped when Naruto faced her with a wide smile.

"Trust me Hinata-chan, there are only two Divisions that I know of that you'll fit in but this is the better of the two," Naruto stated and Hinata bit her lower lip as she thought it over. After a while, she nodded and Naruto began to drag her in. She stomped her feet on the ground, successfully stopping Naruto.

"N-Naruto-kun, we can't just walk into this Division's barracks!" Hinata informed him but he only blinked. "We have to inform them that we're here and wish to speak to their captain and/or their lieutenant,"

Naruto's smile widened. "I can do that,"

A second later, Naruto burst through the barracks, running everywhere while looking for the Captain's office. Hinata just sighed, deciding to wait outside.

"Uhm…" she looked up and saw a man standing in front of her, just as confused as the other members of the Sixth Division. He had brown eyes and long crimson hair, which was kept in a high ponytail. He wore the standard Shinigami outfit, though it included black goggles on his forehead.

"Good morning, Lieutenant Abarai," Hinata greeted with a bow and Renji smiled and returned the gesture.

"Morning," he straightened up and pointed his thumb back at the madness that was Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze. "What's up his butt?"

Hinata blushed at Renji's words. "He's trying to find Captain Kuchiki," Renji raised an eyebrow.

"What for?" he asked but before Hinata could answer, he stopped her. "You know what, I don't want to know. I'll get him," He turned and motioned a random member to stand by him. "You, escort her to Captain Kuchiki's office," the generic shinigami with brown hair and black eyes nodded and Renji sighed.

"I'll see you in a little," Hinata nodded before Renji growled and ran after Naruto.

"Naruto! Get your ass back here!" Hinata and her escort sweat dropped before he began to lead her to the Captain's office. While she let him escort lead her, she took the time to take in the surroundings.

Everything was so neat and clean. The members were efficient and fast-paced but Hinata could sense peace and serenity in the air. She smiled and bowed her head at a passing Shinigami and the Shinigami smiled and returned the gesture.

"I see you're enjoying yourself," her escort said and Hinata nodded, still looking around. Her escort laughed. "Captain Kuchiki enforces the rules like a dictator but he isn't unfair. We keep everything organized and clean, and he doesn't complain or punish anyone,"

Hinata's smile brightened and continued to greet the members of the Sixth Division. Even with the ruckus Naruto and Renji created in the background, Hinata could still feel the tranquility of the area.

She absolutely loved it.

"Here we are," Hinata turned her attention back on her escort and noticed that they stood in front of the Captain's office. She thanked him and he left, having other things to do. She waited patiently for Renji to 'escort' Naruto to Byakuya's office, still taking in her environment.

Byakuya's office was in the second floor of the barracks, right in the middle of the building. Hinata could hear Naruto's voice starting to get closer and she could only sigh. She liked the boy, maybe even go as far as to say that she was starting to love him, but he had his faults. Still, Hinata couldn't stop a smile from gracing her lips at seeing Naruto bound and gagged on Renji's right shoulder.

Renji dropped Naruto down as if he was a bag of potatoes and walked into the Captain's office. "Come on in,"

Hinata helped Naruto out of his bonds and was soon walking in with Naruto mumbling about stupid red-heads behind her. As she did, she noticed that his office was well-kept. She also noted that it had shelves of books lining its walls.

Captain Kuchiki was behind his desk, dealing with paperwork.

He had slate gray eyes and long black hair, which he kept up in intricate white headpieces. It symbolizes his place as the head of the Kuchiki family, one on top of his head and another on the right side. He wore the standard captain uniform along with a white scarf. He also wore fingerless white tekkou that cover only the back of his hands.

All in all, the captain looked dangerous, at least in Hinata's opinion.

"Captain Byakuya!" Naruto cheered with a smile and crinkled eyes. Byakuya's nose creased in disgust as he looked up and looked at Naruto.

"Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze, you continue to disrespect my wishes by calling me by my first name," Naruto blinked his eyes open which helped Byakuya connect his eyes with Naruto's. "It's Captain Kuchiki to you; nothing more, nothing less."

"Ok then," Naruto said with a roll of his eyes.

"You will respect Captain Kuchiki's wishes, you brat!" Renji spat in rage and Naruto chuckled.

"Whatever Renji, if Rukia-nee-chan was here, we both know you'd act differently," Naruto stated and Renji blushed faintly before looking away.

"Shut up, idiot."

"Enough," Byakuya said with conviction and authority. "What is it you two want?" he asked. Hinata felt her nervous habits begin to rise as she began to poke her index fingers together.

"I'm here to support a friend," Naruto said and Byakura's expression never changed. He did, however, shift his gaze to Hinata who smiled timidly.

"I wish to join the Sixth Division of the Gotei 13, sir," Hinata requested and Byakuya raised an eyebrow. He didn't say anything, not even as he took out a giant box. Naruto and Hinata looked at the box with a questioningly gaze, then at each other and then at Byakuya.

"This box contains the files of this year's graduates. Everything ever recorded about you since you started the Spiritual Arts Academy is in this box," Byakuya stated and Hinata nodded, letting him know that she understands. "Your membership to my Division is in your file.

"Now, I'll ask only this once; do you feel that you belong in this Division?" he asked and Hinata stared at him, contemplating his words.

"Yes, I do," she answered confidently and Byakuya stared into her eyes a little longer before nodding.

"We'll see what your records have to say about that," he said as he began to search for Hinata's file. After he did, he started to skim through it. It was relatively small, compared to some of the others she saw, especially compared to Naruto's. She noticed that most of the sheets in Naruto's were pink, indicating that they were disciplinary sheets.

She turned to Naruto and saw that he wasn't affected in the least by this.

"No disciplinary sheets anywhere," Byakuya mumbled loud enough for Hinata to hear. "That shows me that you adhere to the rules, that's good," Hinata smiled at this.

"Your skill in kidō is well above-average and your hand-to-hand combat and swordsmanship is excellent," Byakuya said, making Hinata excited by each word. She was getting the feeling that her records impressed him. "However, your Hohō still needs a little work,"

Hinata bowed. "I'm sorry," she apologized and Byakuya looked up and his cold, calculating eyes stared at Hinata for the longest time.

"It's quite all right," he said as he closed her file and returned it to her box. "It seems you easily qualify for this Division and you are welcomed here," Hinata looked up with hope in her eyes and a smile on her lips. Naruto smiled goofily, his eyes crinkled and his hands behind his head. Renji, however, found his Captain's demeanor odd. He had a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"So… I'm in this Division now?" Hinata asked gleefully and Byakuya nodded but before she could bow, he put his hand up.

"After you and… Naruto," Naruto frowned at the way Byakuya said his name. "Do something for me,"

"And what's that?" Naruto asked, suspicious of the head of the Kuchiki clan.

"You two shall accompany me on a mission," Byakuya replied. Stars appeared in Naruto's eyes and Hinata nodded obediently.

"What does this mission entail, Captain Kuchiki?" Hinata asked. She caught the scroll tossed to her by Byakuya.

"Read it and be prepared to leave in twenty minutes," Byakuya said and Hinata hurriedly opened the scroll. She read it and with every passing second, her eyes widened.

"N-Naruto-kun, you might want to read this," she said and handed the scroll to him.

"Hm, what could it be?" he asked sarcastically before reading it. By the time he finished, he had two fistfuls of the scroll and he was tempted to burn the damned thing. Instead, he threw it across the room. "Is this some kind of joke?" he demanded and Byakuya shook his head.

"You know I'm not one to joke, Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze," Byakuya reassured and Naruto growled.

"How can you be ok with this?" Naruto yelled but wasn't satisfied with Byakuya's silence.

Finally, Byakuya spoke. "The higher ups demand it, therefore, it is law," Byakuya reestablished eye contact with Naruto and Hinata. "We, as Shinigami, are required to carry out what is demanded of us. If you have a problem with this, then leave my sight," Byakuya commanded and Naruto growled.

"Fine, let's go Hinata-chan," Naruto grabbed Hinata's right arm and began to lead her out.

"If neither of you accompany me, she will not be welcomed in my Division," Byakuya's words stopped Naruto in his tracks. He turned to Byakuya and glared.

"Why the hell is my involvement in this affecting her qualification?" Naruto barked and Byakuya closed his eyes.

"Because I am the captain and I said so," he opened his eyes and leveled Naruto's glare. "Like I said, if you an issue with this, leave my sight, but know that she will not be admitted in my Division is you do so,"

Naruto found himself gritting his teeth and forcing himself to calm down. Not only was attacking a captain against the law, it would also get him killed.

"Naruto-kun," Naruto looked down at Hinata and look intently into her eyes. "It's ok if you don't want to do this,"

A war was waging inside of Naruto. He was against going on this mission with Byakuya, he'd rather jump off a bridge than go. But looking at Hinata and knowing that going would automatically get her in this division was something he couldn't ignore.

Sure, they could always find another division that'll easily allow Hinata to join, no questions asked. However, Naruto has known Hinata long enough to know she's always wanted to join the Sixth Division. For whatever reason, she seemed to really like to follow the rules, order and anything like that. Besides that, her behavior and demeanor was perfect for this division.

His gaze shifted back to Byakuya. The sixteen-year-old took in a deep breath and released it through his nose.

"Where do we meet?" Naruto finally asked and Byakuya stood.

"At the front of my barracks," Naruto nodded and walked off. Hinata faced the captain and bowed before leaving. After they left, Renji turned to Byakuya.

"Are you sure you want to take those two?" Renji asked. "Wouldn't you rather have me go?"

Byakuya walked around his desk and up to a random shelf. "Under normal circumstances, yes. However, I think it'll benefit both Hinata Hyūga and Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze if I take them with me,"

"How so, Captain?" he asked.

"Hinata Hyūga will gain experience and Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze will learn what it means to be a Shinigami," Byakuya picked up a random book, one with a red cover and the words 'Soul Society's Noble Families' printed in gold letters across the side. "I'll show him that nothing and no one is above the law,"

"Not even family?" Renji asked, after taking another look at the scroll he recovered.

"No one," Byakuya answered coldly. He began to scan the book, flipping through pages.

"What are you doing now, Captain?" Renji asked and Byakuya tore his eyes from the book to look at his Lieutenant.

"Doing some research before I go on my mission," he answered before locating the noble family he had been looking for.

"Namikaze," he mumbled and Renji just stared at Byakuya before leaving. He was able to catch up to Naruto and Hinata before they left the barracks.

"Hey!" Renji cried out and Naruto and Hinata turned.

"Hey," Naruto replied callously. Hinata just bowed.

"I know you're not happy right now, neither am I, but orders are orders," Renji said and Naruto crossed his arms and pouted.

"If Hinata's future here wasn't on the line, I would've never agreed with the stuck-up prick," Naruto declared.

"I'm sorry, Naruto-kun," Hinata said, feeling guilty for bring Naruto into this. Naruto hugged Hinata without warning.

"It's ok, it's not your fault," Hinata blushed but hugged him back.

"Anyway, I know you're not happy but I got something to help you," Renji removed his goggles and handed them to Naruto. He looked at them and then at Renji.

"Your goggles?" Renji nodded.

"It'll help you locate and identify the person you're supposed to arrest," Renji said, not wanting to cause Naruto to explode by uttering the name. Naruto looked at the goggles before accepting them. He placed them on his forehead and looked up at them.

"Not bad. They look better on me but whatever," Renji stated and laughed at seeing Naruto's peeved expression. "Just be careful. I get the feeling this won't be easy," he added.

"Me too," Naruto said nonchalantly. He shook his head and turned to walk away. "See ya later, Renji," Hinata bowed with a smile then caught up to Naruto. Renji waved and sighed.

"How could this happen?" he mumbled.

**[*.*.*.*]**

"I can't believe I'm doing this," Naruto mumbled to himself as he scouted the area using Renji's goggles. So far, the night was quiet and still. The only sounds came from either a random insect or a bystander taking a leisurely stroll around town. It was ok though, humans couldn't really see Shinigami anyway.

"Is that her over there?" Hinata asked, using her Byakugan to help the search end quicker. Naruto still found it amazing that Hinata could use her Byakugan. It came in handy in any kind of situation. Naruto was glad Hinata was here to make everything easier, emotionally and physically.

"Let me check," Naruto said, activating the goggles. Words and numbers appeared on the inside of the goggles and Naruto skimmed over it as the goggles locked in on a girl with raven-hair and wearing a blue sundress. He shifted the goggles back to his forehead and sighed again.

"That's her," Naruto looked up at Byakuya. "What now, _Captain_?" Naruto asked, sarcasm dripping when he said 'captain'.

"We neutralize the target and eliminate the human," Naruto nodded and looked at Hinata. She nodded too, her once beautiful lavender eyes looking colder and whiter. Even though Naruto couldn't completely understand how she managed to do it, but whenever Hinata had a job to do, nothing stood in her way. Now was the time he did the same, if not for him, then for Hinata.

"Let's go," Naruto said and he disappeared from his place with Hinata right behind him. Byakuya just stared emotionlessly, taking mental notes of Naruto and Hinata's performances.

Naruto stood on top of a utility pole, with Hinata standing on the one across from him. The two watched their target continue to run, oblivious of the two Shinigami over her.

'_This is what's best. A Shinigami shouldn't be burdened by emoti__ons, friends or affection,'_ the target thought as she closed her eyes.

"Rukia Kuchiki!" Naruto yelled, making his target stop and look up at him. He jumped down and landed near her. Her eyes widened.

"Naruto? What are you doing here?" Rukia asked. She then gave him a smile. "Did you graduate already?"

"I did," Naruto answered impassively. "And I'm here to take you in," he finished and Rukia gasped.

"W-What?"

Hinata jumped down from her spot, surprising her again. "Please don't try to resist, Miss Kuchiki,"

"Hinata, you too?" Naruto shook his head in disappointment.

"You had three hunters on your tail and you didn't even notice," Naruto said and when Rukia looked into his eyes, she couldn't find the happiness she always saw that accompanied those blue glaciers, just sadness.

"You're getting rusty," Naruto stated and Rukia scoffed. "Now, where's the human who took your powers?"

Rukia blinked and bit back a comment from escaping her throat. She thought over her words before replying. "What human? Just because you found me in this gigai doesn't mean I lost any of my powers, Naruto.

"At any rate, why would I lose them to a lowly human? I'm a Shinigami after all," she asked and Naruto growled.

"It was a human," Hinata said, beating Naruto to the punch. "It's the only one that makes sense,"

"Why you…" Rukia started.

"This is not the behavior of a proper Shinigami," Hinata declared, her eyes passive and calculating. "And on top of that, you hold the noble name of Kuchiki," Sakura petals suddenly surrounded the three but Rukia was too surprised to notice.

"Right, Captain Kuchiki?" Naruto asked as Byakuya appeared a few feet behind Rukia, whose eyes widened in recognition. She slowly turned to see that her brother was in act behind her. His face was as expressionless as it always was. The Sakura petals continued to rain down on them but still, no one paid them any attention.

"Brother…" Rukia mumbled absentmindedly.

"**Bakudō #30: Shitotsu Sansen!**" Forming a golden triangle with her finger, Hinata shot three beams of light at Rukia. Rukia reacted fast enough to avoid the Bakudō and slid away from the three.

"Giving away your Shinigami powers to a human is a grave sin," Hinata stated passively. "I still don't know why you did it."

"You're quite lucky, little sister," Byakuya finally spoke to Rukia. "The higher ups decided to send us to bring you in, instead of the Execution squad,"

"Just tell us where the human who stole your power is, Rukia," Naruto said, his cold demeanor starting to crack. "This will all be over soon,"

'_I hate playing the bad guy but,'_ Naruto shifted his gaze on Hinata. _'I'm doing this for her,'_

"Well, well," Naruto and Hinata turned to see a silhouette walking towards them. "Armed men and woman surrounding a harmless girl," a boy with raven-hair and glasses said as he stepped into the light.

"Uryu," Rukia mumbled in surprise.

"Who the hell are you?" Naruto growled and Uryu smirked.

"Just a classmate out on a stroll who just happened to see that his classmate is in trouble. It's not like I was able to sense your Spiritual Pressure and got out of bed to come face you or anything," he replied but Naruto didn't like his answer. Rukia just sweat dropped.

"Please leave, this is none of your concerns," Hinata told him but Uryu only adjusted his glasses.

"Like I said before, I am just a classmate with concerns," he said nonchalantly. "It just so happens that I hate Shinigami as well."

"What did you say?" Naruto asked with venom dripping in his voice.

"Naruto-kun, please calm down," Hinata suggested in a softer tone. Naruto looked at her before nodding.

"If you could please let Rukia Kuchiki come with me, we could all go home happy and safe," Uryu said, gauging the Shinigami's reactions. "You can trust me," He then hummed to himself in wonderment. "Although, I can understand if you're a bit skeptical,"

Just as he finished speaking, a cold sharp blade pressed itself against his throat.

"I'll ask only once more," Naruto said, his voice barely below a whisper. "Who. The hell. Are you?" Uryu pondered on what he should do.

'_If I anger him any more than I already have, he'd probably kill me,' _he had to mentally laugh. _'Are all Shinigami like this?'_

"My name is Uryu Ishida," he said in greeting tone. "What's your name?"

Naruto wasn't expecting that. "Why do you care?" he asked.

"I like to know the name of the person I kill," he answered and Naruto stared at him oddly before smirking.

"Sounds like a challenge," he said as he moved his zanpakutō away from Uryu. Just as he did though, he turned and sent his right foot into Uryu's stomach. It made contact and besides driving the wind from his lungs, it also sent Uryu flying back.

Uryu managed to right himself after a roll or two. He looked up as he tried to catch his breath. _'What incredible strength,' _Uryu took in Naruto's appearance. _'He looks as old as I do,'_

"This going to be fun," Naruto said as he cracked his knuckles. "Try not to die too fast,"

Uryu shifted his pose to a archer and his energy formed a blue bow. Seeing Uryu do this caused Naruto to run at the Quincy, all the while placing his right hand on his zanpakutō. Uryu pulled his arm back to form an arrow. After he took aim, Uryu shot the arrow straight at Naruto, intending to stop Naruto dead in his tracks.

However, it was not to be as Naruto took out his zanpakutō and deflected the bow as it was nothing more than a flying piece of paper.

Uryu pulled his arm to shoot another arrow but was surprised when Naruto disappeared from his sight.

"Naruto Uzumaki," Before Uryu could even register the pain, blood was flowing down his body and he was already heading for the ground.

'_What the hell…?'_ Uryu thought as the pain was only brief before his endorphins were released and numbed his pain. His sight began to blur as he heard Naruto laugh.

"That is the name of the Shinigami who defeated you," he boasted as he sheathed his sword. "So much for killing me,"

"Uryu!" Rukia bent down and checked his pulse.

"Run…" he mumbled and Rukia looked up at Naruto.

'_He's a lot stronger than I last remembered…'_ she thought.

"I'm sorry, Rukia," Naruto said as he walked up to them. "You know I'd be the last one to do this but you also know that a job is a job," Naruto said. He was about to grab her but he jumped back just as a giant blade of blue energy came roaring by, stopping Naruto from touching her.

"Damn it," Naruto cursed as he jumped back to Hinata's side. "Just who the hell are you?" Naruto roared.

A teen with orange hair and wearing the standard Shinigami uniform stood with a zanpakutō just as long and big as he was. "The name's Ichigo Kurosaki. I'm the guy who's going to kick your ass. How are ya?" Ichigo said.

Naruto, Hinata and Byakuya took in the new Shinigami.

"What Division are you in?" Hinata asked. Naruto barked out a laugh.

"Check out his zanpakutō, Hinata-chan," Naruto laughed, pointing at Ichigo's katana. "It's huge!"

"Is it really too big? I gotta say, I never really had something to compare it with before," Ichigo retorted and Rukia gaped at Ichigo.

'_Ichigo you idiot!' _she roared in her head. Hinata noticed the stare Rukia was giving Ichigo and it clicked in her head.

"So, this is the human that took your powers," Hinata stated as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Naruto looked at Hinata, then at Rukia before finally glaring at Ichigo.

"You're the guy we're looking for?" Naruto asked no one in particular. A predatory smile graced his lips. "Looks like I'll actually get to test out Hageshii Heijin," Naruto said as he unsheathed his zanpakutō, now known as Hageshii Heijin.

In a flash, Naruto was over Ichigo, swinging down his zanpakutō. Ichigo reacted just fast enough to put up his giant zanpakutō. When their blades clashed, Ichigo could feel Naruto's power seeping through his zanpakutō.

"I-Incredible," Ichigo groaned. He saw the mischief in Naruto's eyes spark.

"You're quick, but are you strong enough to beat me?" Naruto said as he continued to swing Hageshii Heijin only to be blocked by Ichigo's zanpakutō. "What? Were you words as hollow as your skull?" Naruto asked and Ichigo growled.

"Shut up!" Just as Naruto reared back his katana, Ichigo swung his blade, hoping to cut Naruto down. He saw that Naruto was nowhere to be seen.

"You're so predictable," Naruto said behind Ichigo. Ichigo turned his head, only to receive a harsh punch to the face. Ichigo spun but caught himself before he hit the ground.

"Think fast!" Naruto said as he swung Hageshii Heijin again. Ichigo forced his zanpakutō up but was overpowered by Naruto's strike that it broke through his defense. In a quick motion, Naruto thrust his zanpakutō forward and pierced through Ichigo's left shoulder.

"Gah!" Ichigo groaned as he dropped his zanpakutō and grabbed his shoulder.

"Ichigo!" Rukia began to run towards Ichigo, hoping to help him.

"**Bakudō #61: Rikujōkōrō!**" Six beams of light slammed into Rukia's midsection, making her body freeze. "I'm sorry," Hinata said as she appeared next to Rukia. "But I think it'd be best if you didn't get involved with Naruto-kun's fight,"

"You're going to die here," Naruto said as he stood over Ichigo. "And when you do, Rukia-nee-chan will get her powers back," Ichigo just stared up at Naruto, his anger overshadowed by his pain.

"You're an idiot," Naruto continued. "I respect that fact that you're here to help her but you're doing it all wrong. If anything, you're making things worse for yourself.

"And what kind of Shinigami are you? You can't even lay a scratch on me," Naruto boasted. Ichigo grabbed his zanpakutō and swung upward, managing to cut the goggles on Naruto's forehead in half.

"HEY! THAT BELONGS TO A FRIEND!" Naruto yelled as he glowered at the orange-haired teen.

"Damn, I almost got you," Ichigo said with a smirk.

"Tch, lucky shot," Naruto said offhandedly.

"Naruto, you let your guard down," Naruto turned to Byakuya and glared.

"I know what I did,"

"I've heard of this boy before: Ichigo Kurosaki," Byakuya said. "There was a report by the Secret Remote Squad. He dealt quite a serious blow to a Menos Grande, forcing it back to Hueco Mundo," Byakuya finished and Naruto smirked.

"You just got more interesting," Naruto said as his grip on Hageshii Heijin tightened. "What's the name of that monstrosity?" Naruto asked. Ichigo blinked?

"Name?" Ichigo asked confusingly. Naruto gawked at him, clearly surprised.

"You don't even know its name?" Naruto shook his head.

"Are you telling me you guys name your zanpakutō?" Ichigo asked.

"Each zanpakutō has its own name, you idiot," Naruto said as he stood up straight, his right hand hold Hageshii Heijin perpendicular to the ground and his left hand in front of his face with his index and middle finger point up. "Watch and learn,"

Hinata couldn't help but crack a smile. Naruto seemed to be having fun.

"**Bring Forth the Storm, Hageshii Heijin: Fūton!**" Naruto roared as a violent wind surrounded Naruto and his zanpakutō began to light up. Its blade shortened and the guard disappeared. Naruto spun it on his right hand before extending his hand forward, the blade's light faded and in his hand was a ninjatō pointing to his right. The ninjatō's blade was silver with black outlining the edge and had green wrappings wrapped around the handle with a small black chain connected to the pommel. He had his legs bent and his upper body bent forward, as if he was about to sprint.

Without another word, Naruto jumped in the air, Hageshii Heijin over his head and ready to strike. Ichigo shifted his stance and brought his zanpakutō up to block Naruto's strike. What he wasn't expecting, though, was for Naruto's ninjatō to hum as it cut cleanly past his zanpakutō and slice his torso.

The top half of his blade fell to the ground with clang. Ichigo dropped his zanpakutō and fell to his knees, his eyes widened with pain and shock.

Naruto spun on his heel and extended his right leg out, driving his right heel into Ichigo's face and sending him flying back. He hit a brick wall and slid to the ground.

Naruto spun Hageshii Heijin by the end of his chain with his index finger.

"Ichigo!" Rukia shouted in worry. Ichigo raised his eyes, his eyes glassy and lifeless. Hinata and Byakuya just stared passively, watching and preparing themselves to move if needed.

"Get up," Naruto said inexpressively. "You want to save Rukia, don't you?" Naruto said as he tossed Hageshii Heijin in the air before catching it by the handle.

Ichigo didn't respond, his head just bowed forward. Naruto walked up to Ichigo and positioned the tip of the ninjatō's blade against Ichigo's neck.

"How can you save her if you can't even lift a finger to defend yourself, much less attack," Naruto mocked as he applied pressure to his neck. "You had a nice run, but it's time for Rukia-nee-chan's powers to return," Naruto pulled back his ninjatō before he thrust it forward.

Everyone waited anxiously as the blade slowly reached for Ichigo's neck. Before it hit, Ichigo's Spiritual Pressure rose and he turned his body and rolled away from Naruto. Naruto scoffed as he ran after Ichigo who jumped to his feet.

Grinding his teeth, Ichigo ducked under Naruto's latest strike and jumped over him and dove for his zanpakutō. He rolled to his back and blocked Naruto's attempt to decapitate him. They struggled for dominance before Ichigo brought his knees to his chest and his feet to Naruto's chest and kicked up.

Naruto flipped in the air and landed gracefully on his feet. Ichigo stood and spit out the blood in his mouth.

'_Unbelievable, his Spiritual Pressure keeps rising!'_ Naruto thought as he dodged Ichigo's strike. _'At this rate, he'll almost match my Spiritual Energy,'_

'_I didn't think there was someone else with this much Sp__iritual Pressure, besides the captains,'_ Hinata thought restlessly, though she kept her external composure calm.

"You won't win!" Naruto shouted as he tossed Hageshii Heijin in the air. Using speeds Ichigo couldn't track to get behind him, Naruto grabbed on to Ichigo's waist, lifted him up, and fell backward while bridging his back and legs, slamming Ichigo down to the concrete shoulder and upper back first. The amount of forced Naruto used caused the concrete to crack under him and send Ichigo deeper into the sidewalk.

Naruto released him and jumped back, extending his right arm out to catch Hageshii Heijin.

Ichigo rolled to his stomach before using his zanpakutō to help him stand.

Naruto and Ichigo stared into each others' eyes before Naruto closed his and sighed. Hageshii Heijin lit up before returning to its sealed form.

"We're done here," Naruto said, walking over to Hinata and the captured Rukia.

"What? It's far from over!" Ichigo shouted in rage as he made a mad sprint towards Naruto. He raised his zanpakutō and swung down, only to blink and see that what little remained of his zanpakutō was cut off. "W-What?"

He looked around and saw Byakuya standing far from him, holding the other half of his blade. _'I didn't even see him move!'_

"I could've handled it myself," Naruto informed Byakuya. _'Still, I almost didn't see him move,' _he thought as he activated his Fox Eyes.

Byakuya just stared at Ichigo with empty eyes as he dropped the blade. He then reached for his zanpakutō.

'_Is he coming?'_ Ichigo thought as he readied himself. Without even blinking, Ichigo saw Byakuya disappear and then, an immeasurable amount of pain overflowed his body. Byakuya appeared Behind Ichigo and had his zanpakutō sheathed.

Blood spurted out of his new wounds as he began to fall. Ichigo had no idea when Byakuya moved or even if he attacked from the front of the back. All he knew was that he was going down and wasn't getting back up.

Byakuya was now besides Ichigo, watching as Ichigo was in mid-fall. "You're slow, even as you fall." Without another word, Byakuya struck once more and with that, Ichigo finally hit the ground.

'_It's amazing,'_ Naruto thought as he was able to see Byakuya's move. _'His speed in scary but amazing. Even with my Fox Eyes, his movements were still fast,'_

Naruto walked up to Ichigo and watched a pool of his blood began to expand. _'He probably doesn't even have a clue as to what just happened,'_

"Let me go!" Rukia shouted and Hinata felt her mask beginning to crack.

"I'm sorry, I cannot do that," Hinata said and Rukia looked at her from the corner of her eyes. "It'd be pointless now, Miss Rukia. If you touch him, they'll only add twenty years to your sentence,"

"Are you willing to add more to your sentence for a dead man?" Naruto asked, his back turned to her.

"It's my fault he's dead so what the hell is wrong with me going to him?" Rukia asked, making Naruto flinch.

"So what you're saying is that you're willing to extend your sentence for this human?" Byakuya asked and Rukia gulped before she nodded.

"Yes, brother,"

Byakuya looked down at the fallen Ichigo. "I see, he does bear a striking resemblance to _him_," Rukia said nothing and Byakuya didn't elaborate but he didn't need to, she knew who he was talking about.

"Don't talk about me like I'm not even here," Ichigo said weakly as he held on to Byakuya's uniform and smirked at him. Rukia was ecstatic to see him alive. Naruto and Hinata just stared at him incredulously.

"Let go," Byakuya demanded, not even giving him the honor of looking at him.

"What's that? I can't hear you. Maybe you should look at me while you talk," Ichigo said with a smug smirk.

"I guess you won't be needing that arm," Byakuya told him as he reached for his zanpakutō.

"Let me go, please," Rukia said under her breath and Hinata hesitated. She jumped a little when Naruto placed a hand on her shoulder and nodded. Hinata nodded in understanding and released her hold on Rukia.

She ran up to Ichigo and kicked his hand away from her brother. Ichigo was surprised to say the least.

"Rukia…?"

"You're just a lowly human," She said, her head bowed. She then looked at Ichigo. "How dare you touch my brother? Learn your place," Rukia faced her brother and met his eyes.

"I'm ready to go now, brother," Rukia told him passively. "I need to atone for my sins," Byakuya just gave her a once-over and nodded.

"Wait, you can't go!" Ichigo struggled to stand, only to have Naruto stomp his right foot onto his back.

"Don't you ever give up? You lost, and you're dying!" Naruto shouted. "Don't you get it? If you keep moving around, the faster you'll find yourself dead,"

"Let's go, he's not even worth ending," Rukia said. "If we leave him alone, he'd eventually die," Rukia started taking steps away from Ichigo. Ichigo's heart raced in his heart; he didn't want her to go yet.

"Wait, Rukia!" she stopped. "This has to be some kind of sick joke!" he willed his body to stand but before he could, Rukia stopped him.

"If you move or come after me, I…" She paused as she faced him; tears swelling in her eyes. "I'll never forgive you."

This caused Ichigo to stop moving. His body hit the ground again. Byakuya contemplated Rukia's words before nodding.

"I will not inflict the finishing blow," he decided as he released his grasp on his zanpakutō. "I already shattered your soul chain and soul key. Even if you managed to survive your wounds, you'll never regain your Shinigami powers,"

"Hinata," Hinata nodded as she took out her zanpakutō and stepped in front of everyone. Making it parallel to her body, Hinata concentrated her Spiritual Energy into her blade. She then stabbed the air in front of her and it dug into nothingness, disappearing as if ripping into time and space.

"Open!" she commanded as she turned her zanpakutō like a key. The space in front of her swirled like a whirlpool of colors and a Sekaimon opened up. Four black Hell butterflies appeared to guide the four back to Soul Society. Hinata sheathed her zanpakutō and began to walk in.

Naruto took his foot off Ichigo and walked over to Rukia. "I'm sorry," he said as he passed by and disappeared inside the senkaimon. Byakuya was the next one to walk into the senkaimon, followed by Rukia.

'_Don't go!'_ Ichigo thought when his voice and body failed him. Just before the senkaimon shut closed, Rukia turned her head and gave Ichigo one last look.

'_I wasn__'t strong enough,' _his thoughts relentlessly came rushing in one by one. _'I couldn't save her… And I'm dying…'_ he faintly heard the sounds of footsteps and forced his head up. _'Mr. Hat-and-Clogs?'_

**[*.*.*.*]**

Naruto and Hinata stood behind Byakuya and Rukia as they watched Rukia step up to the Captain-Commander.

"We have returned with Rukia Kuchiki," Byakuya stated and the elder man nodded.

"Well done," Yamamoto said as he slammed his cane down, causing guards to come into the room. "Take her to her cell," the guards nodded as they grabbed Rukia's arms and began to escort her to her cell.

Byakuya turned to Hinata and nodded his head. "Welcome of the Sixth Division, Hinata Hyūga," Hinata bowed and thanked him. Byakuya then turned and said something to Naruto but Naruto wasn't paying attention. By the look of it, he guessed that Byakuya gave him a sort of combination of an insult and a compliment.

He didn't care though; it was a bittersweet moment. He just wanted to go home and forget about this event for a while.

"We'll be leaving Captain Kuchiki," Hinata said, noticing the look on Naruto's face. Byakuya nodded and the three walked out of Yamamoto's office. Soon enough, Naruto found himself following Hinata as she led them to the Eleventh Division's barracks.

"I know what you're feeling Naruto-kun," Hinata said softly and Naruto smiled mirthlessly.

"I know you do," he sighed and looked up at the night sky. "I just want to lie down and do nothing."

"Do you think that boy will be ok?" Hinata asked and Naruto looked at her and smiled with more happiness.

"You really have a kind heart, you know that?" Hinata blushed and looked at the sky. "It's just a guess but I'm sure he's fine," Hinata hummed to herself before silence reigned over them.

Naruto's smile disappeared and was replaced with a frown, suddenly getting the feeling that they were being stalked. Before he could look around, he noticed that he reached the Eleventh Division's barracks.

Wordlessly, the two entered their living quarters with Kushina. Before he did though, Naruto looked back, only to see a bird flying over Soul Society.

"Stupid bird," he said as he closed the door behind him, hoping to find comfort in the form of his bed.

* * *

**That's it for now, hope it was to your liking...**

**Well, you saw a little of Naruto's and Hinata's abilities... Not much but they will have a full demonstration of their powers soon... Just wait...**

**Things are starting to get interesting people! Let's hope Naruto and Hinata are strong enough to face what's to come...**

**As for Ichigo, well, looks like there's one more obstacle in his way...**

**Well, i'll update for this story soon!**

**Till then!**

**Next Chapter: Soul of a Fighter, Heart of a Lover...**

**************Good luck with whatever and if you got a problem with me or one of my stories, please feel free to: Deal with it, Get over it or Choke on it...****  
**


	5. Beginning of Something New?

**Wow, I was in such a hurry that I accidently uploaded the wrong chapter for this story -.-...**

**I'm sorry for that, guys...**

**Here's the actual chapter...**

* * *

"Hey Hinata-chan," Naruto asked with a grunt. Both were sweating and panting heavily as they continued their activity.

"Yes?" She answered as she bent backwards.

"Oh, that was nice! I was going to ask-ah, not so rough!" Naruto whined.

"I'm sorry," she said with a giggle.

"You're really flexible," Naruto noted and Hinata nodded in agreement.

"You're not too bad yourself. Maybe one day, you'll be able to keep up with me," Hinata teased as she blushed greatly.

"Maybe you should raise up your stamina because you look like you're ready to fall from exhaustion," Naruto rebutted only to blush when Hinata bent backwards right in front of him, his eyes automatically going to her puffed out breasts.

Hinata didn't notice that she had inadvertently distracted Naruto but then again, it didn't matter because that moment of distraction was enough for Hinata to push Naruto back. Not wanting to give him a chance to recover, she pinned his arms down with her knees and pointed the tip of her zanpakutō to his neck. She kicked Hageshii Heijin from his right hand, making sure he couldn't defend himself.

"I win," she said with a cute smile. They both panted and were putting tomatoes to shame. Hinata for all the movements and physical strain she endured, Naruto for the position they were in. He had such a nice view but he wouldn't openly admit it. In fact, he was forsaking his own perverse mind for even thinking such a thought. If anyone else would come in on them at this moment, chances are he'd never hear the end of it.

"I suppose you do," Naruto said petulantly, his eyes connecting with hers. Even though he was a bit sore about the fact that she managed to get the win, he didn't really care. Though, that didn't mean he couldn't pretend, right?

"Don't be such a baby," Hinata said as she got off him. Naruto let out a silent sigh of relief and sat up, watching as Hinata returned her zanpakutō into its sheathe. Naruto watched her walk to the side where they had set their bottled water and snacks.

He couldn't help but watch the way her body moved as she walked. Currently, they were out of uniform, which was fine since they were off-duty. She had grey sweatpants and a white shirt on and he wore black shorts and an orange sleeveless shirt with a yellow spiral, a symbol of the Uzumaki clan, at the back of his collar.

Naruto stood and joined Hinata to the sidelines of the dojo where most of the Eleventh Division's members would go to train. Luckily, they were both early risers and the only other members up were probably on guard duty somewhere in the Seireitei or off on a mission.

Without a second thought, Naruto chugged down whatever water was left in his bottle and cried out in pleasure of having his body rehydrated.

"That must be some good water," Hinata mused with a giggle. Naruto only smirked happily as he placed the bottle down and sat on the floor. Hinata only shook her head and shifted her zanpakutō in her left hand while trying to finish the water bottle in her hands. Naruto stared at her zanpakutō.

The sheath was pure white, the same as freshly fallen snow on the first day of winter. The zanpakutō itself was generic except that the wrappings around the hilt was just as white as her sheath with the occasional black diamond imprinted on the wrappings.

"So, when's your zanpakutō going to reveal its name to you?" Naruto asked and Hinata hummed as she pondered.

"Only time will tell, I guess," she answered vaguely as she took a look at her zanpakutō. A thought popped into her head and she looked at Naruto as his eyes gained a vacant look.

"Naruto-kun?" she poked his shoulder, causing him to blink multiple times before looking up at her. "Are you okay?" she asked and he looked down again, a frown staining his lips.

"Not exactly," he answered, standing before heading for his fallen zanpakutō. "I'm still a little sore from that butt whooping," he added as a joke but there was no mirth in his tone.

"It's about Rukia, isn't it?" she asked and Naruto froze for a second. He then grabbed his zanpakutō and sheathed it.

"Yeah, a little," Naruto turned and forced a smile on his face and Hinata couldn't help but frown. "But I'm mostly hungry. Want to get some ramen with me?" he asked and Hinata shook her head.

"I promised Captain Kuchiki I'd meet him for an evaluation," Hinata told him after taking a look at the clock pinned to the wall. "I'm still early so I might be able to eat only one bowl,"

"Only one huh?" Naruto asked with a playful smirk. "Even I know you can't pull that off,"

Hinata pouted with a blush. "I can't help it,"

Naruto just laughed as he grabbed his towel and placed it over his shoulders. "No one can, it's okay,"

The walk to his sleeping quarters was short and soon enough, he started making four bowls of ramen, even though Hinata protested against it.

"Naruto-kun," Naruto faced her as she sat down in the dining room, just across from the kitchen. "You haven't talked about what happened a week ago. I know you must be devastated but you can't just keep it locked up all the time," she said and Naruto turned back to the ramen.

"I know Hinata-chan," he said as he stirred the ramen. He put the spoon down and exhaled deeply, his thoughts racing in his head. He turned and faced Hinata, his azure pools hard as ice.

"I just don't understand why she's being executed for nothing," he said and Hinata shook her head.

"She's not being executed for nothing, Naruto-kun. She transferred her powers over to a human. That's illegal," she explained, earning a scoff from Naruto.

"You sound like them," he said callously. Hinata sighed as she stood and hugged Naruto from behind, but nothing without blushing.

"I know it's hard for you to accept Naruto-kun, but there's not much we can do," she said, hoping to calm him down some. It worked for the most part but he knew that was a lie. There was always something he could do.

"Listen, Hinata-chan," Naruto said as he spun and faced Hinata. "We're in two different Divisions. Soon enough, you'll move into their barracks and I'll see you less. When we start our real missions and quite probably have different shifts, we'll see even less of each other,"

"Yes, I know," She said as she looked away. Surprisingly, Naruto gently placed his index finger under her chin and made her look up at him. Her blush deepened at the action and her mouth was left agape.

"I just wanted you to know that I," he paused, too afraid to continue. It hadn't been too hard to discover why he'd always react the way he did when he was around Hinata. He had been denying the notion for too long and finally, he admitted it to himself. He had a crush on Hinata, not some ordinary school-yard crush but a major one.

Still, he couldn't just outright and declare it to her here; especially here in his kitchen while he waited for their ramen to cook! What kind of nonsensical, cheesy romance-type movie did he think he was in? It wasn't a movie, for one, and for another, romance wasn't as easy as the movies made it seem. Life wasn't directed by a person with the whole ordeal already planned out and people weren't paid actors already knowing what to expect. Life was a game of chance; every decision was a gamble, no matter the odds.

With that said, he wasn't sure if he could keep his crush of her silent. Who knew when he'd see her again?

"It's not easy for me to say this so listen carefully," Hinata nodded, wondering what had come over Naruto. He's been acting strangely lately and Hinata could only guess the cause behind it. "Hinata-chan, I-"

Life was a game of chance; coincidentally, the afterlife was no different. As such, sometimes even the most outrageous and improbable events seem to beat the odds.

It was in that moment that Kushina returned, dragging her feet as she hit the couch with a groan. She took a second to relax before looking up, blinking at seeing Hinata sitting on the table and Naruto with his back turned, mixing the ramen in a pot.

"Hey guys," she greeted weakly, a tired smile appearing on her lips. Hinata looked up and smiled, while Naruto lifted his hand up and mumbled something under his breath before returning to mix the ramen. "What's up?" she asked.

"I was just leaving," Hinata politely as she stood, bowing to Kushina. "I need to go meet with Captain Kuchiki for my evaluation."

"What about your ramen?" Naruto asked and Hinata walked over to him and gave him a hug.

"It's fine. Just give it to your mother," she said after letting go and heading for the door. Naruto watched her for a while longer before reaching into the cabinet on his left.

"Hinata-chan!" he called out. She poked her head into the kitchen and grabbed the granola bar tossed to her by Naruto. He grinned and gave her a thumbs up. "Good luck," she smiled before leaving the kitchen.

"I'll come by later to pick up my stuff," she informed the two and with a grunt of affirmation from both Uzumakis, the door slid to a close.

Kushina thrust her pelvis forward and used her arms to push the rest of her torso up and out of the couch. She stood with some imbalance. She found her equilibrium and thanked the heavens she didn't fall flat on her face; even in the comfort of her own home, that'd be embarrassing.

"So how'd it go?" Naruto asked as he poured the ramen in the pot into four bowls equally. He grabbed two with each hand and placed it all on the table where Kushina just sat down. She grabbed the bowl and then split the chopsticks down the middle before digging into her bowl.

Before Naruto could even sit down, Kushina was already slamming her bowl down, letting out a sigh of relief and pleasure.

"It was another false alarm," Kushina said before digging into her second bowl. Naruto just watched her oddly, wondering if that's how he looked like when he was in the mood to eat – no, devour, ramen.

"I swear, these Hollow sightings are starting to get on my last nerve," she said as she slammed her second bowl on the table. She blinked at Naruto's second bowl, smiling when he lazily pushed it towards her. Naruto just smiled as he watched his mother eat as if she'd been condemned to death and had only ten minutes to do whatever she pleased.

"Well mom, I'd love to chat about this more but I need to go talk to Kenpachi," he said as he stood, shoving his bowl of ramen to his mother's side of the table. She mumbled in the bowl before slurping up the last noodle.

"Have fun," she said before burying her head into the fourth bowl. Naruto just shook his head as he went into his room to change into his uniform. With his zanpakutō tied to his waist, he walked out of his living quarters and straight towards Kenpachi's office.

He grinned nostalgically, remembering when he first arrived to Kenpachi's office. All of it seemed so much bigger when he was younger. He needed to visit Nemu again, it'd been so long since he talked to her. So many memories, so little time.

"Fishcake!" Naruto groaned just as he touched Kenpachi's door. He turned to see a small girl with pink hair smiling at him.

"You and your nicknames," he muttered but she only giggled in response.

"You here to see Kenny?" she asked enthusiastically and Naruto nodded. "Kenny's not here,"

Naruto just stared at her with a blank expression. "What?"

"He left, all the captains did. Didn't you hear?" she asked and Naruto blinked; his response obvious to Yachiru. "Captain Ichimaru ran into some Ryoka just outside the gates of the Seireitei,"

At this, Naruto's eyes widened. "Ryoka huh?" Yachiru nodded and began to walk away with her hands behind her head. "Wait; do you know when he'll be back?" Yachiru shook her head, not stopping until she turned the corner.

"Tch, now what do I do?" Naruto grumbled, facing Kenpachi's door as if asking it.

"Looking for a fight?" Naruto turned, a grin already plastered on his face.

"You know it, Chrome dome," Naruto taunted before ducking under a zanpakutō that threatened to cut his head off. "Easy there, Ikkaku, I was only joking," he added as Ikkaku glared at him.

Ikkaku was a well-built man, but his most distinguished attribute was his shiny-as-a-diamond head and was always made fun of by a lot of people for it, especially 11th Division Lieutenant Yachiru Kusajishi. Naruto had caught him on several occasions trying to convince everyone that he was "shaven" even though it was obvious that it wasn't. He also had distinctive small red markings at the outer corner of his eyes. Unlike most Shinigami Naruto knew, Ikkaku didn't wear a tabi with his sandals on; other than that, he wore the standard Shinigami robes.

"You and every other asshole in this dump," Ikkaku growled as he grabbed his zanpakutō. His angry and gloomy demeanor disappeared as he faced Naruto with a challenging smirk. "So, up for a fight?"

Naruto just laughed. "You bet your shiny bald-" he stopped short when he saw the glare Ikkaku was throwing his way and he chuckled sheepishly. "Ass, I was going to say ass,"

"Whatever, are you in?" he asked.

"Hell yeah!" he shouted, thrusting his right fist in the air.

"No, he's not," a soft and stoic voice intervened. Naruto and Ikkaku both turned to see Nemu standing a few feet away. Naruto smiled warmly as he greeted Nemu like he usually did; with a brotherly hug and a huge smile.

"How you been?" Naruto asked, his smile never fading and Nemu couldn't help but smile. It was small and to be honest, looked a little forced, but Naruto could see that she could never truly hide a smile so long as he was around.

"I've been busy lately but other than that, I am alive," Naruto had to sweat drop at her answer. She was very socially awkward sometimes but she wasn't too bad. Not like cue-ball who gave her a blank look.

"Good to hear that you continue living, Nemu. So, what brings you here?" Naruto asked, prompting Nemu to adopt a serious demeanor.

"My father wishes for me to give you your annual evaluation," she informed him, noticing his shiver.

Naruto sighed before turning to his favorite sparing buddy. "Rain check on the fight, Baldy," Naruto laughed as he ducked under Ikkaku's kick and ran off, grabbing on to Nemu's arm as he began to drag her with him. They ran and ran until they were out of the barracks.

"So, let's talk Nemu," Naruto suggested as the two made their way to the Twelfth Division's Shinigami Research Institute. Naruto recounted the mission Byakuya had sent him and Hinata to do. He spent a little extra time with vivid adjectives to describe Byakuya, but other than that, he kept it short and sweet.

In return, Nemu described the things she and her father had done over the past week and a half. Naruto wished she would've talked about the weather or anything else for that matter. Her father was psychologically insane and the fact that he wasn't in an insane asylum amazed Naruto to no end.

Finally, they reached the institution and Naruto thanked the heavens that they did because Nemu was only a few minutes shy of talking about the dissection she and her father performed on a new species of Hollow they found not three days ago.

"I would think that doing such a thing was illegal, but I guess not," Naruto stated with a sheepish yet queasy smile. Nemu only smirked and shook her head. Still, Naruto sucked it up, for Nemu. She was a great listener and all but Naruto knew that even she had her own opinions and views and since her father wasn't going to listen to them, Naruto believed the responsibility fell on him. Not that he minded.

"So why are you and the mad scientist still acting as my doctors? Isn't that the Fourth Division's job?" Naruto asked and Nemu bit her lower lip.

"My father has taken a great interest in you and your… jailor, so to speak. Your mother had set a guideline for him to follow and so long as he doesn't go against them, she has no problem with it," she replied stoically, though Naruto could only imagine what was going on in her head when she turned and looked away.

"Please step inside and we'll start off with checking you blood pressure," she offered to open the door but Naruto just stepped around her and held the door for her. She hesitated, not used to such treatment, and then thanked him as she entered.

He let out an agonized sigh as he walked into the institute; was anyone in a worse predicament than him?

**[*.*.*.*]**

_'No one could be worse off than me,'_ Hinata thought. She kept repeating and repeating that same phrase over and over again as she ran from Renji's Zabimaru which was in its Shikai form.

The blade rained down on Hinata, who managed to roll out of the way just as it dug its 'fangs' into the ground she was once standing on.

She should be glad, she supposed. If she couldn't even keep up with Renji, what chance would she have if she had fought with Byakuya?

Evaluation or not, Renji took his role seriously and the fact that he had released Zabimaru from its sealed form reinforced this theory.

"Why are you running? Take out your zanpakutō and fight back!" Renji called out and Hinata gripped the hilt of her zanpakutō before releasing it and dodging another of Zabimaru's strikes. Hinata panted as she watched Renji give her a calculating stare before retracting Zabimaru and sheathing it after returning to its sealed form.

"Go home," Renji stated as he turned to walk away. Hinata just blinked.

"Wha-What?" she asked breathlessly. Renji faced her with a impassive expression before sighing. He walked up to her, his hands on his hips.

"You are an incredible Shinigami, if your records have anything to say about it," he said, and Hinata blushed slightly at the praise. "But, Captain Kuchiki wants you to have learned your zanpakutō's name. That's what this whole evaluation was mostly about."

"But, why?" Hinata asked curiously.

"If you find out the name of your zanpakutō, you powers would increase exponentially," he explained and giving her some time to register this, he began to walk away. "Come back tomorrow, we'll continue the evaluation then with Captain. Until then, try to get your weapon's name. At the very least, get a hint as to what its name _could_ be."

"I, uhm…" before she could even say another word, he was gone. She just looked down at the floor. "Ok."

She felt like crap. She felt helpless; almost as if she was a little kid again. Too weak to please everyone's expectations but too shy to speak out.

Suddenly, warmth overcame her as if someone was hugging her from behind. Her heart raced slightly but she felt so relaxed and safe that she almost didn't even care where the warmth came from. She looked around, trying to see if anyone had done something from afar but it didn't seem to be.

She collected herself with a deep exhale before walking back to the Eleventh Division's barracks, wanting to talk to Kushina more than anything. She had been sort of a mother-figure as of late and her pep-talks were only topped by her delicious ramen.

'_**My child,**_' Hinata stopped in her tracks and looked around. That was new. _**'You cannot see me for I lie in your deepest subconscious,'**_ the voice said, prompting Hinata to stop her search. She was speechless; to think that her depression has gotten her so low that she unconsciously created a voice in her head to talk to her.

'_Not to be impolite, but this is too weird to be true,'_ Hinata thought, wondering if the voice in her head could even hear her.

'_**It's quite alright my child; I can understand why you would hesitate to believe that there is a voice in your head,'**_

Hinata shook her head and felt a pulse radiate from her zanpakutō. She looked down at it before contemplating an odd connection that formed in her mind.

'_Are you the voice of my zanpakutō's spirit?'_ she asked and she heard a feminine giggle echo in her head.

'_**Why, yes, I am,'**_ the voice answered and Hinata nodded in understanding. At least now she didn't think she was completely insane. Still, just to make sure, Hinata decided to walk to the peaceful isolation that a nearby forest provided her. Sitting in the lotus position with her zanpakutō, scabbard and all, in her lap, she began to travel deep into her subconscious until she appeared in a frozen wasteland. Snow rained down on the land as if Mother Nature thought it was too hot at the moment. It amazed Hinata to no end that even with all the snow falling from the sky, it never accumulated higher than her knees. Still, for some reason, Hinata could see miles away, even without her kekkei genkai.

"**My child,"** Hinata jumped and turned to see a clump of snow starting to rise, vaguely forming into the figure of a woman. **"I see you have honored me with a visit."**

Hinata could only stare in awe. The last time she had tried this, the only thing to greet her was an echoing voice and oddly enough, the sort of warmth she experienced early, much like she was experiencing now. In fact, it was radiating from the snowwoman herself… er, itself…?

Who knew?

"**I surmise that you have sought me out to speak to me?"** she guess and Hinata nodded numbly.

Was that really what she came here to do?

"I… Well, if you don't mind me asking," she started but couldn't find the rest of the words to complete that thought.

"**Hm?"** the snowwoman's tone sounded soft and patient, taking most of Hinata's edge off of her. At the very least, her zanpakutō's spirit wasn't as hostile or as cold as her environment seemed to be.

Oh boy, now what?

**[*.*.*.*]**

Kushina grumpily stomped down her division's barracks, mumbling to herself as she passed her fellow Shinigami without sparring a second glance.

While one of the most beautiful women in all of Seireitei, Kushina Uzumaki was the one all the males wouldn't dare ask on a date.

Still, that never stopped some of local lechers in the Seireitei.

"Hey Kushina," Kushina stopped in her tracks, her head hung forward and her suave, beautiful crimson hair swished to a halt. She turned and gave the man who called her out a cold stare. "I heard you have nothing to do," the man added with a flirtatious smile.

Kushina's eyelids fractionally flicked lower. "So?" she deadpanned.

"Well, I was wondering," the Shinigami said as he stood besides her, smiling a megawatt smile. "Maybe we could help each other with our… ahem, stamina," he said lecherously. By now, a vein was throbbing in her forehead as her face colored with pink tint, mostly from anger. There was only one man she would ever tolerate and he was dead – and Naruto was still too young to be considered a man, in her eyes. Therefore…

"How about you go to hell?" she suggested with a overly sweet smile but unfortunately, the man couldn't take the hint.

"Oh, you like it hot, do ya?" he asked, his eyes gleaming with mischief. Kushina was running low on patient and if this perverted creep didn't back off soon, he'd never look at Kushina the same again.

"Hey you!" a voice barked as it closed on the pervert. The two turned but the pervert was immediately grabbed by his collar and was lifted off the air. Even his toes couldn't touch the ground as the newcomer glared into the pervert's eyes. "The lady said no, so why don't you beat it?" for a second, his eyes flashed from azure to crimson, but it was so fast that he almost didn't believe it.

"Naruto-chan, I can handle this," Kushina said with an exasperated sigh, though she did appreciate what he was doing. The blond continued to glare, almost as if he didn't hear his mother, but reluctantly, he dropped the man and watched his squirm away in mild panic. Naruto just watched the worm run off with disgust before facing his mother, both having the same frown on their faces.

"What's your problem?"

"Bored and have too much energy. Same?" she answered and asked, but Naruto shook his head.

"Came back from the 'doctor'," he replied, putting air quotes around _doctor_. Still annoyed, Kushina still found the will to smile at her son's misfortune. True, Mayuri Kurotsuchi was no sweetheart, but he did know what he was doing. Whenever something weird happened to Naruto, Mayuri would have the answer within the hour – for the most part. He was a scientist and he only focuses on that which captures his attention so whenever it seemed trivial to him, he'd send Naruto to Nemu; Naruto had no problem with that though.

"What's the prognosis?"

"I'm as healthy as a horse with five hearts, ten lungs and twenty-five stomachs."

"Only twenty-five?"

"I was surprised he picked such a low number, too," Naruto replied, a smile working its way to his lips. Kushina laughed into her right hand, glad that Naruto had shown up when he did. If he hadn't come along to unconsciously cheer her up, she would've ripped a new one into the Eleventh Division without batting an eye.

"Spar?"

"Definitely."

**[*.*.*.*]**

"I..." Hinata paused again, for what seemed like the thousandth time. If it were anyone else, they would've walked out or got angry at her by now. There was only less than a handful of people who she knew who had all the patience in the world for her: Nemu, Kushina and of course, Naruto. She didn't have a special relationship with Nemu like Naruto did but she did look up to her and was close enough that Nemu would share one of her rare smiles with her. Naruto had chuckled the first time Nemu smiled genuinely at Hinata and had told her that besides him and his mom, she never smiled like that for anyone. It made Hinata feel special.

"**My child,"** the snowwoman said as she brought Hinata in for a hug. Hinata's eyes snapped wide open; even though those three wonderful people had all the patience in the world, none of them ever hugged her. And the snowwoman was as warm as a normal person; a constant source of heat radiated from the entity. Her action, along with her words, brought more warmth into Hinata's heart and she slowly raised her arms up and reciprocated the hug.

A new feeling began to swell up in her chest and she let out a sigh. "What is your name?" she softly blurted out without realizing it.

"**I have many names,"** the spirit said as he held firmly onto the teen. **"Unfortunately, you are not ready to hear it just yet,"** the snowwoman said with a heavy heart. Hinata looked up at her with sad, almost desperate eyes.

"I am, I am ready!" she argued but the entity shook its head.

"**No, you are not. I can look deep into your heart, and while it is pure like the snow, it just isn't ready to control me, yet," **she told her. Hinata opened her mouth but no words ever left. There was no time for her to speak.

"**Don't talk back!****" **another voice, much harsher than the woman who was holding Hinata, said. Suddenly, an area near the two shifted into ice. Hinata and the snowwoman watched as a woman made of ice began to rise from the ice as if it was some sort of portal. Hinata was awe-struck as a sense of inferiority filled her entire being. She felt like she was in the presence of a queen, royalty of the highest caliber and she was only a lowly servant. The sudden warmth she felt from the snowwoman changed a bit. It was hard for Hinata to explain; it was as if the warmth was... protecting her?

"**I told you I would handle this,"** the snowwoman chided angrily but the icewoman just scoffed it off as if the snowwoman was beneath her. She gracefully made her way to the two before stopping behind Hinata.

"**You had your chance,****"** the woman said as she let out a controlled giggle. She was a detailed as the snowwoman, with the only difference was that there was some sort of crown on the icewoman's head. She reached out and touched Hinata's shoulder. She flinched but tensed when she felt something rushing into her. It was cold, cold but precise; confidence and reassurance filled the Hyūga girl and a smile crossed her lips. Warmth protected her heart but the rest of her felt cold like ice. Oddly enough, she didn't care, it didn't bother her. She felt more confident in herself, like nothing was impossible and everything she wanted was within her reach.

"**Can you feel it? That is my power. Do you like it?****"** she asked and Hinata nodded with enthusiasm. **"****Then come with me, child, and all your wildest wishes can be obtained through me.****"**

Hinata wanted to jump at the chance to have the woman's power. Such confidence! Such power! She had never felt like this before, and she had to admit, it was intoxicating. With that confidence power, and assurance, she could finally confess her feelings for Naruto; hell she could have anyone she wanted, not just Naruto...

The blue-haired girl flinch and moved closer into the snowwoman and she panted as if she had been holding her breath for centuries. Those thoughts... they were not her own; she would never think like that, she only wanted Naruto. That was the only thing she was completely positive about.

The icewoman wasn't expecting Hinata to flinch. **"****Is this not what you want? What you seek... what you need?****" **the icewoman asked harshly.

"I do," Hinata answered, keeping her head on the snowwoman's torso. "I know I need it to become stronger," Hinata looked at the icewoman with a determined look on her face. "But I do not want your power if it means that I lose my freewill."

The icewoman stood still, presumably shocked by Hinata's words.

"**I'm proud of you,"** the snowwoman said and Hinata sincerely smiled at her.

"**You will need my power one day, child,****"** the icewoman stated assuredly before giggling. **"****I look forward to that day,****" **her smile faded as she turned her back to the two. **"****Now be gone.****"**

Without warning, Hinata snapped her eyes opened and saw that she had returned from her subconscious. She shook her head and took note that it was close to nightfall, with the sun setting within the hour. The blue-haired Shinigami jumped to her feet and went to go to her temporary home that she shared with her second-mother and love. By the time she had reached it, though, she was surprised to see no one walking around. There was always something happening in the Eleventh Division. At least, most of the time there was something going on.

When she walked into her old home, she had to sweatdrop as she saw Naruto and Kushina sprawled on the floor, glaring at each other.

"What's..." Hinata paused, trying to assess the situation a second time. Both Uzumakis looked up at her and smiled. "Going on?"

"Well, it's like this Hinata-chan," Naruto started but was interrupted by Kushina who placed a hand over his mouth.

"Someone has a crush-" it was her turn to be interrupted as Naruto jumped on top of her and placed both hands on his mother's mouth. She got angry and rolled over to cover his mouth. "I am your mother, young man!"

"My mother with a big mouth!" Naruto retorted as the two continued to fight for dominance. Hinata just watched with morbid amusement before stepping outside again. The two stopped for a moment to stare at the door before resuming their match. Eventually, Kushina gained the upperhand and pinned Naruto's wrists down. Her long, red hair curtained the left side of her face and Naruto felt a few stray hairs tickle his face.

"Why won't you tell her?" Kushina asked sadly and yet, also confusedly. Naruto turned his head away with a slight blush.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Naruto said stubbornly, his eyes shifting to look at her. "You're getting crazier the older you get."

"We both know those two statements are wrong," Kushina said with a candy-sweet smile that scared Naruto. "First off, I'm not getting old, I'm just aging slightly; got it?" she asked and Naruto nodded smartly. "And second... I see the way you look at her. You really like her... a lot."

"Mom-"

"No, son," she said abruptly. "Don't make the same mistake I made!" Kushina got off Naruto and sat on her knees, her head bowed lowly. Naruto sat up and blinked at her. "I waited for something bad to happen to show me just how blind I was. It took a kidnapping for me to finally acknowledge your father. I might've still been young when it happened but it was then that I realized all of the things your father did for me, because he loved me. And poor Hinata is doing the same thing, but you're too blind to see."

"My relationship with Hinata is different than the one you had with dad," Naruto told her, half believing what he just said.

"You will lose her all the same," Kushina stated. Naruto looked deep into her eyes and he could see that she truly believed everything she said. He looked away, the intensity in her eyes becoming too much for him.

"...I just don't want her to reject me. I know we'll still be friends if she rejects me... but I don't want to risk it!" he growled as he punched the floor under him.

"She won't reject you," Kushina said with a reassuring smile. Naruto was about to question her but her smile stopped him. "Go for her! Do what you think you have to do to convince her that you truly, honestly, and desperately like her," she advised just as the door behind him slowly opened and Hinata popped her head in.

"Is the fighting over?" she asked. Kushina nodded as she stood, cracking her back as she did.

"That felt good," she stated before walking off. "I'm going to bed; night you two," she said as she took a step passed the threshold before stopping. "Oh, and don't forget what I said Naruto-chan," she reminded him before closing the door behind her. Naruto just kept his eyes on her door, his thoughts plaguing his mind.

"Naruto-kun? Naruto-kun!" Hinata said before speaking a bit louder. He had been sitting on the floor staring at the door for two minutes straight and Hinata was starting to get worried. Naruto blinked as he was brought back to the waking world and looked up at Hinata with confusion. "Are you okay?" she asked and Naruto nodded dumbly. Then she reverted to her shy self again. "Do you mind... if I sleep here for one more night? Maybe two?"

Naruto finally snapped out of her stupor and stood with a mile-long smile. "Of course, you know you're always welcomed here," he assured her and Hinata smiled fondly at him.

"Thank you," she said before walking to her room. It was funny to Naruto how those two simple words and one smile could make his heart race. He bit his lower lip and clenched his fist; he couldn't risk their friendship ending over his little crush. His hands released the tension they held and his right hand rose to cover over the area where his heart was. It was as if his heart pounding against its confinement.

Without prior warning, he ran up to catch up to Hinata who had reached her room. She heard his footsteps and waited for him at her door. She blinked when she saw the sweat dripping from his forehead; he couldn't have been sweating from the run, her room was only twelve feet away from where he once stood. She was about to ask what was wrong when suddenly, his hands gently framed her face and he kissed her. Her eyes snapped open and her body stiffened; Naruto was kissing her!

Her eyelids dropped halfway down and she could feel herself start to relax as her right hand slowly went up to touch his hand. He kept kissing her until he the need for air became priority. He took in a deep breath and then stared into her eyes seriously.

"I like you," he declared proudly and wholly. She blinked before going in for another kiss and smiling happily at him.

"I like you too!" she said quickly in a high-pitched voice before taking a step back and closing the door. Naruto leaned back, until his back hit the wall and he slowly moved down. When he was comfortably seated, something unexpected happened.

He fainted.

Meanwhile, Hinata sat on her bed, her fingers daintily touching her lips. A dumbfound smile appeared on said lips before her eyes rolled to the back of her head and she fainted right on her bed.

* * *

**Sorry, I don't have enough time to comment... **

**All I can say is, I'm sorry for taking so long...**

**Well, gotta go!**

**Hope you enjoyed it!**

**See ya!**


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